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House hearing warns Sudan is collapsing amid mass atrocities, speaker urges sanctions and RSF designation
Summary
An Unidentified Speaker told a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing that Sudan is in a state of collapse, described widespread atrocities and displacement, cited Treasury sanctions on a Colombian-led network, and urged that the Rapid Support Forces be designated a foreign terrorist organization.
Unidentified Speaker opened extended remarks on Sudan, characterizing the country as "under the darkest clouds" and saying the international community has been paralyzed while civilians endure widespread suffering. "Today, Sudan is in a state of collapse," the speaker said, and added: "We're witnessing a genocide that indeed echoes the horrors of the 2000s."
The speaker cited prior work on Sudan and Darfur, including meetings with then-President Omar al-Bashir, and noted that Bashir was later charged by the International Criminal Court with war crimes and crimes against humanity. They recounted visits to refugee camps and described hearing accounts of killings and sexual violence in Darfur.
The testimony included large-scale humanitarian figures. The speaker said "21,000,000 people [are] facing acute food insecurity and 6,500,000 in or near famine," and asserted estimates since April 2023 of roughly "150,000 people slaughtered and more than 10,000,000 people displaced." The speaker described a recent attack in South Kordofan that it was said killed more than 100 civilians, including at least 63 children.
Turning to external actors, the speaker said the Treasury Department announced sanctions on a Colombian-led transnational network of former Colombian military personnel who have fought alongside the RSF since 2024 and linked illicit gold smuggling through the United Arab Emirates to financing for the RSF. The speaker also alleged that foreign states have bolstered both sides: accusing the UAE of supplying weapons to the RSF, saying Russia seeks a naval base at Port Sudan, and alleging Iran has supplied drones to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The speaker called for immediate steps to halt external financing and arms flows and urged that the RSF be designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The speaker said, "the RSF ... should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization, an FTO." No formal action on designation occurred during the hearing; the speaker urged U.S. policy-makers to act.
The hearing listed witnesses expected to testify, including Nicole Witterschein for Human Rights Watch and others with on-the-ground experience. The committee proceeded to take testimony following opening remarks.
