{"id":20118753,"date":"2025-07-22T20:40:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T18:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20118753"},"modified":"2025-07-22T20:40:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T18:40:05","slug":"eu-sanctions-sudanese-commanders-and-entities-over-rights-abuses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/eu-sanctions-sudanese-commanders-and-entities-over-rights-abuses","title":{"rendered":"EU sanctions Sudanese commanders and entities \u2018over rights abuses\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The European Union imposed sanctions on two Sudanese individuals and two financial entities last week, for \u201cserious human rights violations and threats to the peace, stability and security of the country,\u201d in its fourth package of restrictive measures since the outbreak of war in April 2023.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The listed individuals include Abu Agla Keikil, commander of the Sudan Shield Forces, and Hussein Barsham, a field commander in the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0EU Council stated<\/a>\u00a0that Keikil \u201cis deemed responsible for targeting the [El] Kanabi*, a historically marginalised group comprised mainly of Nuba and other African tribes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once a senior RSF commander in El Gezira,\u00a0Keikil defected in 2024<\/a>\u00a0and aligned his Sudan Shield Forces with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). He had previously criticised Sudan\u2019s civilian-led government and the\u00a0Juba Peace Agreement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January<\/a>, Radio Dabanga reported on the serious abuses committed by Keikil-aligned forces. In Wad Madani, video footage emerged of SAF and\u00a0Sudan Shield fighters<\/a>\u00a0torturing a doctor with special needs in public, accusing him of RSF ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human rights observers said the incident reflected a broader pattern of impunity. Journalist Mat Nashed commented: \u201cDifferent uniform. Same impunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Dabanga\u00a0reported in May<\/a>\u00a0that a drone strike killed nine people and injured 14 others at a Sudan Shield Forces camp in Jabal El Abaytor, Butana Plain, El Gezira. According to the group, the attack targeted several key facilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudan Shield has been active in military operations against the RSF in El Gezira, East Nile, White Nile, Khartoum, and Kordofan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU also sanctioned Hussein Barsham for his role in\u00a0RSF-led atrocities<\/a>, including \u201ctargeted killings, ethnic violence, forced displacement and violence against civilians, particularly in Darfur and other conflict-affected regions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Two entities blacklisted\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alkhaleej Bank<\/a>, \u201clargely owned by companies linked to family members of RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo,\u201d which plays \u201can essential role in financing RSF operations.\u201d The bank has been the target of previous sanctions by the US Department of the Treasury\u2019s Office of Foreign Assets Control, for its alleged role in financing the RSF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red Rock Mining Company, involved in \u201cfacilitating the production of weapons and vehicles for the SAF,\u201d and already sanctioned by the US and UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those listed face asset freezes, bans on financial transactions, and EU travel bans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Council stated the measures reflect \u201cthe EU\u2019s unwavering support for peace and accountability in Sudan,\u201d adding: \u201cThe people of Sudan have a right to freedom, peace and justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*The El Kanabi (Arabic plural of \u2018camp\u2019) is a name given to seasonal labourers (camp workers) in Sudan, in particular in central Sudan.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of them moved from western parts of the country, including Darfur, in the last century in search of work in the El Gezira Agricultural Scheme, set up by the British. The workers settled on the outskirts of villages and near irrigation channels and water banks. Others went to work on plantations in eastern Sudan.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the successive El Gezira state governments considered the kanabi temporary workers, they did not provide many services. Their lives can be characterised by poverty and isolation, due to government policies and the discrimination they face<\/a> based on ethnicity and culture from the surrounding population.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to figures presented by Jaafar Mohamedein, secretary general of the Kanabi Congress, in 2018, nearly 2,500,000 kanabi were living in 2,095 \u2018camps\u2019 in El Gezira, making up 39 per cent of the total population of the state. In October 2020, the Kanabi Congress called for transforming their settlements in El Gezira and eastern Sudan into model towns and villages on state-owned lands.<\/em><\/p>\n