The Biden administration is criticized for its delay in declaring genocide in Sudan.

The Biden Administration has been criticized by the incoming Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, for not declaring rebel actions in Sudan, a country that has been ravaged by 21 months of conflict, as "genocide" until the outgoing President had only 13 days left in office.

This week, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, stated that the RSF, a Sudanese rebel group, had committed genocide in the country.

Hemedti, the leader of the RSF, is being sanctioned by the United States for his role in committing systematic atrocities against the Sudanese people.

Blinken stated that he made his rulings because the RSF and RSF-aligned militias have been attacking civilians, murdering men and boys, including infants, and targeting women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of sexual violence.

Militias have targeted fleeing civilians, murdered innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies, as the Secretary stated.

Blinken stated that Sudan is currently facing a conflict characterized by unrelenting violence, resulting in the world's largest humanitarian crisis. This has led to 638,000 Sudanese people experiencing the worst famine in the country's recent history, with over 30 million people requiring humanitarian aid and tens of thousands of deaths.

Risch has criticized Blinken's declaration on the situation in Sudan, arguing that it is too late and that the timing is off. In a statement earlier this week, he wrote that it has been nearly a year since he introduced a resolution calling the atrocities in Sudan a genocide, and that he first called for Global Magnitsky sanctions to be imposed against the RSF and Hemedti 263 days ago - yet these sanctions have not been leveraged.

RSF-affiliated companies and Hemedti were sanctioned by the Biden Administration, which waited until it had less than two weeks in office to do so and declared the atrocities in Sudan a genocide.

Risch stated that America's influence in the region and the world was weakened years ago due to neglecting the crisis in Sudan. If the Biden Administration supported its words with actions, Sudan would be in a better position today, more lives would be saved, and the foreign proxies contributing to the conflict would be kept at bay.

Risch emphasized that the war in Sudan must end, stating that any further instability would only lead to terrorism and regional turmoil, endangering global security. The US and its allies must work to put an end to the violence and atrocities, curb the actions of proxies, manage the migration pressures resulting from mass displacement, and safeguard strategic interests such as the Red Sea corridor.

Blinken declared new sanctions against seven RSF-owned companies in the UAE and one individual for procuring weapons for the RSF.

The Treasury Department issued a statement, concurrently with the one from State, asserting that the RSF's capacity to obtain military equipment and generate funds remains a significant contributor to the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The Treasury Department specifically named a company in the UAE, owned by a Sudanese national, as having provided both money and weapons to the RSF.

This week, other UAE companies have been accused by the Treasury Department of being "an essential part of the RSF’s efforts to finance its operations" and of importing IT and security equipment.

A gold company in the UAE has been sanctioned due to allegations that it bought gold from Sudan for the benefit of the RSF and transported it to Dubai. Furthermore, the Treasury stated that the RSF's procurement director and brother of RSF leader Hemedti had access to the gold company's bank account in the UAE, which held millions of dollars.

"The Treasury Department is committed to holding accountable those responsible for violating the human rights of the Sudanese people, as stated by Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. The United States continues to call for an end to the conflict that is putting innocent civilian lives in jeopardy."

The UAE's main concern in Sudan is resolving the humanitarian crisis. The official from its foreign ministry stated that the country is not supporting either of the two warring parties in the conflict.

The UAE is highly committed to safeguarding the global financial system's integrity and to combating financial crime worldwide. We are dedicated to strengthening international cooperation and devising strategies to tackle emerging risks.