US imposes sanctions on Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan | News about the war in Sudan

The Sudanese general has been accused of “deadly attacks” on civilians during an ongoing war with RSF paramilitaries.

The administration of outgoing United States President Joe Biden has imposed sanctions on the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah al-Burhanaccusing him of destabilizing the war-torn country.

In a statement on Thursday, the US Treasury Department said that under al-Burhan's leadership, the SAF had “carried out deadly attacks against civilians, including airstrikes against protected infrastructure, including schools, markets and hospitals.”

“The SAF is also responsible for the routine and deliberate denial of humanitarian access, using food deprivation as a military tactic,” it said.

The move comes just days into the Biden administration sanctions imposed for Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the Rapid Support Force (RSF), a Sudanese paramilitary group that has been at war with the SAF since April 2023.

Under Dagalo's leadership, “the RSF engaged in serious human rights abuses, including widespread sexual violence and the execution of defenseless civilians and unarmed combatants,” the Treasury Department said on January 7.

Washington also accused the RSF and their allied militias in committing genocide in the Darfur region of Western Sudan.

The war in Sudan has killed thousands of people and plunged the country into a severe humanitarian crisis.

More than 8 million Sudanese have been internally displaced, while another 3 million have fled to neighboring countries, according to UN figures.

A UN-backed group that also monitors global hunger warned late last month that famine is spreading rapidly in Sudan, with famine conditions confirmed in parts of Darfur, among other regions.

Asked about Thursday's sanctions during a briefing in Washington, D.C., US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told reporters that the Sudanese armed forces “continue to attack civilians” in the country.

“This is hindering the progress of the peace process. She has repeatedly refused to participate in the ceasefire talks that we wanted to convene,” Blinken said.

“And together with RSF, it is the cause of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, from which people suffer every day.”

Blinken also expressed hope that the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday, will continue to try to end the conflict.

“It is, for me, yes, another real regret that when it comes to Sudan, we have not been able, during our watch, to get to that day of success,” he said.

Speaking earlier on Thursday, Al-Burhan expressed challenge at the prospect of being targeted.

“Any sanctions in favor of the country, we will welcome them,” he told Al Jazeera Arabic.