Sudan’s RSF tried to polish its image but its crimes are being recognised

In June 2023, Ibrahim Shumo and immoderate friends fled war-torn Sudan’s West Darfur, the members of the “non-Arab” Masalit people knew they would beryllium killed if they stayed immoderate longer.

They feared the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied militias from “Arab tribes” – the chiefly nomadic and pastoralist communities successful Darfur. Sedentary farming tribes are referred to arsenic “non-Arab”.

The RSF and its allies were targeting Masalit civilians successful El-Geneina, the superior of West Darfur, taste sidesplitting that began days aft warfare broke retired betwixt the RSF and the Sudanese service connected April 15, 2023.

A United Nations sheet of experts recovered successful January 2024 that the RSF and allied militias killed up to 15,000 radical successful El-Geneina.

Nearly a twelvemonth later, the United States agreed with the UN experts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken declaring connected Tuesday that the RSF and its allies had committed genocide by attacking civilians and systematically murdering men and boys due to the fact that of their ethnicity.

Blow to legitimacy

The determination led to US sanctions connected respective of the RSF’s ammunition companies successful the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and against the group’s leader, Mohamad Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo.

Masalit survivors and analysts judge the designation and sanctions could isolate the RSF and permanently tarnish its image.

“The astir lasting – imperishable – effect of this designation … is that it dramatically hurts the imaginable of Hemedti of taking a relation successful a aboriginal authorities and certainly, being successful complaint of a aboriginal government,” said Jonas Horner, an adept connected Sudan and a visiting chap astatine the European Council connected Foreign Relations (ECFR), a deliberation vessel successful Europe.

The US designation came 2 weeks earlier the extremity of President Joe Biden’s administration, prompting experts to impeach his medication of assuaging its blameworthy conscience with the move.

They told Al Jazeera that much unit should person been applied sooner, arsenic a ground for a much coherent US argumentation connected Sudan, but an earlier genocide designation mightiness person exacerbated nationalist unit connected Biden to marque a similar judgement astir Israel’s warfare successful Gaza.

“The Biden medication has a superior occupation successful that we cognize determination are akin calls for a designation that Israel has committed genocide successful Gaza,” said Suleiman Baldo, the laminitis of the Sudan Transparency and Policy tracker, a deliberation vessel pursuing the war.

“But determination is nary mode connected Earth [Washington would impose] the aforesaid consequences connected Israel which it has struck the RSF with,” helium told Al Jazeera.

Despite the evident treble standard, Shumo said the US’s designation provides a little consciousness of joyousness for the RSF’s victims.

“Since [the designation was announced], I tin archer you that the Masalit are precise happy,” helium told Al Jazeera.

Reputation laundering

In 2003, Sudan’s service relied connected Arab tribal militias to crush a rebellion successful Darfur by chiefly non-Arab groups, who were angered by their people’s governmental and economical marginalisation.

The Arab tribal militias called themselves the Popular Defence Forces but became known arsenic the Janjaweed (“devils connected horseback”) for the countless atrocities they committed – which apt amounted to taste cleansing and genocide, according to rights groups.

In 2013, Sudan’s then-President Omar al-Bashir repackaged the Popular Defence Forces militias into the RSF and tasked them with warring rebellions and coup-proofing his regime.

Under Hemedti’s command, the RSF began coveting planetary legitimacy by advertizing its cooperation with the European Union (EU) woody to ace down connected undocumented migration, known arsenic the “Khartoum Process.”

Then, aft a fashionable uprising toppled al-Bashir successful April 2019, the RSF hired quality rights advisers and PR firms to assistance it rebrand arsenic a benevolent force.

“There was an effort by the RSF to supply services to civilians specified arsenic proscription and securing petrol for radical successful bid for them to powerfulness basal services,” said Ibrahim al-Dourab, an advisor to the deceased politician of West Darfur Abakar.

“In my opinion, each of these efforts were nonsense … they were trying to bargain the radical and the street.”

In October 2021, the service and RSF waged a coup earlier turning connected each different 18 months aboriginal successful a bid for supremacy.

Rights groups and UN experts impeach some sides of committing sedate crimes specified arsenic summary killings and welding starvation arsenic a limb of war.

The RSF has carried retired further atrocities specified arsenic systematically gang-raping women and girls and carrying retired what the US present considers a genocide against the Masalit.

Washington’s designation damages the RSF’s chances of coveting planetary legitimacy from Western powers, said Horner from ECFR.

“Hemedti [and RSF] are present tarred with this designation and it volition beryllium hard to lavation off,” helium said.

A measurement towards justice?

The RSF decried the US Department of State’s determination of genocide and its determination to enforce sanctions connected Hemedti and RSF ammunition companies.

RSF adviser, Ali Musabel, told Al Jazeera that the US determination was “unfair”.

“There was nary ineligible committee – oregon immoderate determination taken by an planetary tribunal oregon committee – that made this determination,” helium told Al Jazeera. “This determination was based connected inaccurate accusation and reports astir us.”

But the designation of genocide follows countless reports of atrocities committed successful West Darfur by the UN, assistance groups, section monitors, rights groups and Al Jazeera’s ain extended reporting.

Shumo hopes the US sanctions and designation volition compel the EU to travel suit and propulsion the International Criminal Court (ICC) to contented caller indictments, including against Hemedti.

In July 2023, ICC main prosecutor, Karim Khan, told the UN Security Council that his bureau was launching a caller probe into atrocities successful Darfur.

“What happened to the Masalit truly is simply a tragedy,” Shumo said. “I consciousness bully astir the determination to enforce sanctions … but I anticipation it yet leads to prosecuting Hemedti astatine the ICC.

“I mislaid 23 relatives to the RSF,” helium told Al Jazeera.

One of them was his younger cousin, Abdelazeem, who was changeable and killed arsenic helium tried to fly West Darfur on with tens of thousands of different civilians seeking information successful Chad.

They were terrified by the assassination of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abakar, who accused the RSF of genocide successful a tv interview, successful June 2023.

The RSF opened occurrence connected the fleeing people.

“We were looking for him [in Chad] but couldn’t find him,” Shumo said.