A U.S. House committee has approved a bill requiring the Biden administration to review whether parties to Sudan’s war should be designated as terrorist entities, in a move that could significantly increase pressure on both General al-Burhan’s SAF and the Rapid Support Forces.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the measure, which directs the secretaries of state and treasury to jointly conduct a review within 90 days of the law’s enactment to determine whether any party to the conflict meets the criteria for designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity.
The bill also calls for sanctions on officials from both the Rapid Support Forces and the SAF, as well as members of their families. It requires the U.S. administration to identify individuals and entities linked to genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as those obstructing humanitarian access.
The measure further demands that Washington present a clear strategy on Sudan as the country’s war continues to devastate civilians and deepen the humanitarian crisis.
However, the committee removed one of the bill’s most politically sensitive provisions at the request of a member. The deleted language had called on the U.S. State Department to work through the United Nations to challenge the legitimacy of Sudan’s current representation in international institutions, and to treat that representation as illegitimate until a civilian or democratically elected government is established.
Legal adviser Hafez Hamed told Radio Dabanga that designation as a terrorist entity is primarily aimed at combating terrorism and targets individuals, organisations and bodies involved in actions that threaten U.S. national security, foreign policy or economic interests.
He said the consequences of such a designation would include asset freezes and restrictions barring dealings with listed individuals or entities. But he added that the political effect of the designation would likely be greater than its legal impact.
On the issue of challenging Sudan’s representation at the United Nations, Hamed said the removed provision would have required the U.S. State Department to take immediate steps with the UN General Assembly’s Credentials Committee under Article 29 of the UN rules of procedure.
The provision was aimed at stripping legitimacy from representatives of Sudan’s current authorities in international bodies, including the United Nations, until the U.S. secretary of state determined that Sudan had transitioned to civilian rule.
Hamed described the deleted clause as a major and potentially far-reaching measure, saying it would have had serious consequences for the participation of Sudanese government representatives in international organisations. He said it also would have served as a pressure tool to push for a civilian transition in line with arrangements proposed by the Quad.
He said the bill, even without the removed provision, represents a powerful instrument of pressure on Sudan’s current authorities to hand power to a civilian government and end the war.
