(ANALYSIS) On Jan. 7, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the U.S. State Department determined the atrocities in Darfur as amounting to genocide. The statement refers to the atrocities following the conflict unleashed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023.

The conflict resulted in the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe, with over 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and over 638,000 people experiencing the worst famine in Sudan’s recent history. Tens of thousands are said to be dead, but the exact number is unknown.

In December 2023, Blinken concluded that members of the SAF and the RSF had committed war crimes in Sudan. He further determined that members of the RSF and allied Arab militias had committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. In January 2025, Blinken upgraded this designation to genocide.

Justifying this recognition, Blinken relied on evidence of the RSF and allied militias systematically murdering men and boys on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeting women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence. The RSF and allied militias are also said to have “targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and preventing remaining civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies.”

This is not the first time the U.S. State Department made determinations of ongoing atrocities as genocide. Indeed, in recent years, this designation was made in the cases of the Daesh atrocities against Yazidis, Christians and other religious minorities, the atrocities against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China, and the atrocities against the Rohingya in Myanmar.

The announcement of the recognition of the atrocities as genocide was followed by some steps to hold the perpetrators responsible. Among others, Blinken confirmed sanctioning RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, known as Hemedti, for his role in systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese people.

Hemedti was further designated under Section 7031(c) for his involvement in gross violations of human rights in Darfur, namely the mass rape of civilians by RSF soldiers under his control. As a result of this designation, Hemedti and his immediate family members are ineligible for entry to the United States. Seven RSF-owned companies located in the United Arab Emirates and one individual were also sanctioned for their roles in procuring weapons for the RSF.

The U.S. State Department further announced its commitment to support the people of Sudan. This includes providing $30 million to empower civil society and elevate civilian voices in the dialogue about Sudan’s future, as announced in December 2024.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been investigating the situation in Darfur since 2005, following the atrocities committed in the region in 2003. This includes alleged genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, since July 1, 2002 (when the Rome Statute entered into force). However, in 2023, the ICC Chief Prosecutor confirmed that the Court has jurisdiction not only over the atrocities from two decades ago but also over the ongoing situation as well.

As he added, he has “given clear instructions to [the Office of the Prosecutor] to prioritize crimes against children and crimes of sexual and gender-based violence.” The Office of the Prosecutor has also launched a new public campaign asking and encouraging civilians, members of the different groups, any individual with information to provide it to the ICC.

With the announcements from the U.S. State Department, the situation in Darfur should gain more international attention - attention that is urgently needed to stop the atrocities and provide victims/survivors with comprehensive assistance.

This piece was republished from Forbes with permission.

Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab is a human rights advocate, author and co-founder of the Coalition for Genocide Response. She’s authored the book “Never Again: Legal Responses to a Broken Promise in the Middle East” and more than 30 UN reports. She works on the topic of genocide and persecution of ethnic and religious minorities around the world. She is on X @EwelinaUO.