Congress legislators have criticized the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Gen. Abdul-Fattah Al-Burhan, and head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemetti” over the fierce clashes in Sudan.
US Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and senior Republican in the Committee Jim Risch called for imposing sanctions on military leaders implicated in the recent clashes.
“Unfortunately, the international community and regional actors fell prey, again, to trusting junta Generals Burhan and Hemetti when they said they would hand power to civilians,” according to Risch.
“Playing along with their games has divided the pro-democracy movement and further weakened the hand of civilians. It is clear we need a fundamental shift in US diplomacy,” he said.
“Last year, Congress passed a joint resolution clearly stating that the military junta was the major obstacle to Sudanese democracy and that the Biden Administration needed to act to hold it accountable for human rights abuses, corruption,” Risch added.
“To date, this has not happened. Instead, the international community gave these selfish and brutal leaders more time to run out the clock.”
Risch added that “regardless of who started the current fighting, the Biden Administration must take immediate steps to sanction Generals Burhan and Hemetti, and other senior security officials, and push the international community to do the same.”
For his part, Menendez pressed the Administration “to impose targeted sanctions on all those who subvert the transitional process or are implicated in human rights abuses,” including senior members of the Sudanese junta.
He called on the US to “lead by example”.
“I encourage international partners to join us in affirming our dedication to the cause of freedom and advancing democratic values worldwide.”
Moreover, US Senator Chris Coons released a statement in the wake of the clashes saying, “Ultimately, the only way to achieve peace and stability in Sudan is through meaningful political discussion and the return of a civilian-led transition that respects the rights and aspirations of the Sudanese people.”
“Continued fighting risks dragging the country back into civil war and threatens the stability not only of Sudan but the entire region,” he warned.
