U.S. Slaps Sanctions on Sudan’s Army Head Over Atrocities

KHARTOUM – Rising tensions aren’t uncommon in Sudan’s political theater, yet the recent US sanctions against General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the nation’s top military figure, adds a dramatic twist. Mincing no words, Washington has put its foot down, accusing Burhan, the de facto leader pulling the strings from the military perch, of exacerbating a civil conflict that’s dragged on for 21 arduous months.

Burhan, etched into the saga of this bloodstained conflict, commands one side of the bloody skirmish that has ravaged Sudan. The human toll? Dismal, to say the least, with a death toll that runs into the tens of thousands, and in its wake, a human exodus of over 12 million, inching the nation ever closer to the grim specter of famine. Sounds like a dystopian script, doesn’t it?

In an eyebrow-raising dispatch from the Treasury Department, the US accuses Burhan of “animalizing Sudan and inhibiting a democratic metamorphosis”. Yet, despite powerful allegations, the statement neatly sidestepped any mention of recent rumblings in Wad Madani where civilian blood has spilled.

Despite the cloak of condemnation, Sudan’s foreign ministry curtly described the sanctions as “peculiar and vexing”. Well, if anything, diplomatic sarcasm gushes through Khartoum’s corridors.

Just a week prior, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the graffiti-ing force behind the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), came into Washington’s punitive crosshairs. The US framed Dagalo’s militia as an instigator of genocide in the troubled land.

Thursday ushered in a storm as U.S. officials once again pointed fingers, declaring that under Burhan’s watch, the army indulged in deadly forays against civilians, painting grim pictures of attacks on schools, markets, and even the weary walls of hospitals.

Allegations too thick and too dark to ignore stated that Burhan’s cohort resorted to using starvation as a sinister instrument of war, blocking humanitarian aid to the needy. Take a moment to let that sink in—food as a weapon.

Travel and financial liberties now curtailed, any American-affiliated assets and transactions linked to Burhan are frozen faster than a tundra stream, except for the humanitarian crumbs exempted by Treasury decrees. Yet, aid bodies fear a feral backlash, with blockades possibly set to tighten at the borders of kindness. Isn’t it a plot twist nobody wanted?

Antony Blinken, in the conflict’s infancy, labeled the army’s acts as downright war crimes. Meanwhile, Burhan shifted to damage control, advocating for “investigations” into alleged military excesses upon seizing the heart of Gezira state. Ah, the classic tactic of investigating one’s own.

Amidst the clamor, South Sudan summoned Sudan’s envoy, scrutinizing losses inflicted on seemingly innocent bystanders hailing from their southern neighbor. The diplomatic dance takes on another layer.

Wad Madani, seated conveniently between chaos and the capital Khartoum, experienced its own tumultuous shifts of power. Recently recaptured by the military after falling to RSF forces, this nexus point connects major lifelines yet heard lamentable stories of fractured peace.

Reports echoing from Taiba, no less than an hour from the city, paint a shocking portrait of military marauders claiming 13 lives in a village rampage. Clementine Nkweta-Salami voiced deeply seeded concerns, citing targeted attacks based on whispered affiliations or differing ethnicities.

Tom Perriello, the US envoy, voiced disgust over such reports that resonate of bodily harm. Gen Burhan’s pledge to a week-long probe evokes skepticism, while South Sudan awaits acknowledgment and action over these tragic tales.

Tin-pot accusations have flown before—Hired guns, they yell! The RSF allegedly beefed up by South Sudanese “mercs.” Smoke and mirrors only escalate tensions amidst a digital age where videography unveils more than the naked eye.

Viral videos, shared promiscuously, illustrate stark violence: one video, verified by the wizards at BBC Verify, chronicles stark moments of horror as a man’s fate unfolds at the Hantoub bridge. The tapestry of chaos is visible for all to see, right down to the railings adorned with specific paint.

More somber recordings surface, showing civilian corpses lined neatly like horrific dominoes. Not heroes clad in identifiable uniforms, but anonymous figures left unwept, dust returned to dust near Wad Madani’s outskirts.

In a wry admonition, the official army reaction condemned “solo misconduct” in parts of Gezira state, donning promises of justice yet raising eyebrows in skepticism. Ironically, they find themselves in a cycle of accusations and retorts with RSF over retaliatory raids tracing back to commanding defections within their ranks.

And now, amidst this bloody ballet, the world waits—shoulder to shoulder with Sudanese civilians caught in political crossfire—as the sands of conflict shift beneath a weary nation’s feet.

Report By Axadle