The White House described Sudan’s civil war as a genocide, Wednesday, a day after Washington placed sanctions on the nation’s rebel leader for his forces’ “horrific, systematic atrocities” in a conflict that has gripped the nation for more than two years, killing tens of thousands of people and driving millions from their homes.

"This is the second genocide in a generation in Sudan,” said John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.

He was referring to the brutal Darfur conflict, in which Sudanese Arab Janjaweed militias used scorched-earth tactics on the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa people of western Sudan, killing at least 200,000. The scale and horror of the violence prompted the International Criminal Court to issue its first-ever warrant for genocide to Sudan’s then-president, Omar al-Bashir.

“Just think about that for a second,” Kirby said. “The second genocide in a generation in Sudan.”

Kirby named Rapid Support Forces leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa as the leader of a wave of renewed ethnic cleansing, rape and systemic atrocities. Daglo, who is better known by his nickname, Hemedti, was a commander in the Janjaweed militia. He led the paramilitary RSF until an April 2023 clash with government forces that sparked the current conflict.

The violence has plunged nearly 640,000 people in the oil-rich nation into famine, the State Department says. The United Nations estimates that 30 million people — more than half of Sudan’s population — need humanitarian assistance as a result.

The U.S. sanctions target Hemedti, along with seven RSF-owned companies in the United Arab Emirates and one other individual. Among other things, the State Department said in its announcement, the sanctions block Hemedti and his immediate family members from entering the United States.

The Khartoum-based Sudan Times cited an adviser to Hemedti who said, on social media, that sanctions could hamper efforts to resolve the conflict.

Rights groups applauded the sanctions. Nicole Widdersheim, deputy Washington director at Human Rights Watch, called the State Department’s move “the first step toward redefining U.S. policy in Sudan with accountability and civilian protection at the center.”

She added, “We hope to see more pressure from the United States on the parties to the conflict and U.S. allies to respond to past and ongoing atrocities and human suffering.”

Brian Adeba, a senior adviser at The Sentry, a Washington-based investigative organization that tracks war crimes and human rights abuses, told VOA’s John Tanza that this was the strongest move Washington had made on Khartoum since conflict erupted in 2023.

“It is welcome, but a lot of work needs to be put into ensuring that the culprits that are committing the mass atrocities are held accountable,” he said.

Adeba said it was significant that the U.S. sanctions also targeted seven Emirati firms seen to be supporting the RSF.

“And so, this one closes the loop. Not only does it target the perpetrator but also the enabler, and therefore it puts a lot of pressure on also the international community to take action against the RSF,” he said. (VOA)

•FILE POTO: Rapid Support Forces leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa salutes during a rally in Galawee, Sudan, June 15, 2019. Daglo, of Darfur, is widely known as Hemedti and on Jan. 7, 2024, was placed under U.S. sanctions.