US Declares Genocide in Sudan, Sanctions RSF Leader Hemedti

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

The designation of genocide, I think was what, if you will, sparked t the sanctioning. That leader, General Hemedti, and expanding this to a number of companies that his family, owns and operates through. I think there were close to a dozen companies, mostly based in the United Arab Emirates and were also put under sanctions, in following this finding of genocide. 

I think it's also important, frankly, for US credibility, to recognize facts on the ground, because what has happened, since the arrest, particularly in West Darfur, the massacres of Massalit, in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, driving them out of the province. This, I think, is the main basis for the genocide finding, but also the activities of the RSF and other parts of Sudan that they've gone into. The RSF has been supported by the United Arab Emirates, by Chad, which has allowed, resources to flow into Darfur and areas controlled by RSF and possibly by Ethiopia as well. Whereas the Sudan Armed Forces, the Port Sudan government has had continuing support from Egypt, from Saudi Arabia, from Eritrea. And there are others, of course, more further afield, like Iran and Russia, which seem to have thrown in political and military backing for the Sudan Armed Forces. 

So the more players that get involved, the more complicated it's going to be to actually sort out a solution. Right now, it strikes me that both the Sudan Armed Forces and the RSF, remain committed to fighting, and frankly, until their external backers put increased pressure on them in this. You can't just be the United States and Europe putting sanctions. This has to be regional backers. That they will continue to fight to try to find a military solution. we will in the future have to engage with him. 

But I think the genocide determination, that clearly sends the signal that the United States does not believe the propaganda he's putting out, that he's pro-democracy, that he's there to relieve the Sudanese people of the burden of the Islamic State that they suffered under for 30 years. He's not going to be a future leader of Sudan.