• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

US Must Draw Red Line at Sudan’s Tipping Point to Avoid Another Round of Atrocities

David L. Phillips and Mufadal Mufadal by David L. Phillips and Mufadal Mufadal
07/03/19
in Opinion
Sudanese protesters from the city of Atbara, flash the V-sign for victory and wave national flags atop a train, as it arrives at the Bahari station in Khartoum

Sudanese protesters flash the V-sign for victory and wave national flags atop a train. Photo: AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators were slaughtered in Sudan over three days in early June. As many as 128 people were killed in Khartoum, Darfur, Port Sudan, and Blue Nile State. Victims were demanding that the Military Council restore the deal for a transition to civilian democratic rule, established after the long-time dictator Omar Al-Bashir was removed from the presidency.

The Rapid Support Forces serve as the point of the spear for the Military Council, a new incarnation of the Janjaweed insurgency who committed genocide in Darfur beginning in 2004. In June, the Rapid Support Forces engaged in an orgy of violence: killing protesters, raping women, and rounding up members of the Declaration of Freedom and Change, a civic alliance that represents the protesters.

The Donald J. Trump administration can use carrots and sticks to compel the Khartoum regime to change course. But American engagement must send a clear message of accountability to leaders of the military junta and members of the Rapid Support Forces.

Cocktail of US Sanctions

Those who committed crimes against the people of Sudan cannot act with impunity. Punitive measures led by the U.S. and the international community will change the cost-benefit calculus of Janjaweed leaders and Khartoum’s generals, including head of the Military Council General Abdel-Fattah Burhan.

The U.S. State Department, working with Members of Congress, should prepare a list of Sudanese officials and security personnel for sanction. The list would include Janjaweed leader Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known by his nom de guerre “Hemedti,” and others involved in the murder of civilians.

Washington has a range of tools at its disposal. The Global Magnitsky Act, which provides the authority to sanction human rights offenders and corrupt officials worldwide, could be applied.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee can formally request the Trump administration to sanction Sudanese officials and their commercial accomplices who are responsible for ongoing violence and state looting.

Beyond the Global Magnitsky Act, Washington can ratchet up the pressure by using so-called network sanctions, in which an entire group involved in human rights abuses and/or mass corruption is held accountable. Members of the Military Council can be targeted.

The Treasury Department can also play an important role in imposing sanctions. It should issue an anti-money laundering advisory to banks around the world, putting them on the lookout for illicit financial flows that have come out of Sudan during the last year. The anti-money laundering advisory would enlist bank compliance officers globally in the search for stolen and laundered assets.

Through this cocktail of sanctions, the U.S. would freeze and seize assets of the perpetrators. Sanctions would block targeted Sudanese officials from accessing the international financial system. Travel bans could also be imposed.

Washington Must Draw Red Line

The Sudanese people demand justice. To this end, the Declaration of Freedom and Change seeks an independent investigation into crimes against civilians. They also demand the immediate release of individuals arbitrarily detained as well as an accounting of persons who were tortured or who died in detention. Accountability should be part of a broader transitional justice strategy.

Sudanese protesters rally outside the army complex in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on April 18, 2019
Sudanese protesters rally outside the army complex in Sudan’s capital Khartoum. Photo: AFP

The Government of Sudan is working assiduously to cover up crimes by suspending telecommunications and internet services. The communications black-out is also intended to restrict popular mobilization. The U.S. should demand the immediate restoration of telecommunications and internet services.

Washington must draw a red line. U.S. officials should insist on a peaceful transition to civilian rule, paving the way for human rights, peace, and justice. Until then, Sudan’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the U.S. Department of State will remain. Other sanctions imposed for Sudan’s trafficking in human persons should be further enforced.

Sudan’s Tipping Point

Failure to act could lead to another round of atrocities and refugee flows. Christians in Sudan and other religious minorities will be hard-hit. Extremist and Islamist organizations supported by the al-Bashir regime may be resurgent.

Sudan is at a tipping point. Pressure will send a signal to the generals that they cannot act with impunity. Sudan will remain an outlier until it stops the violence and allows human rights and democratic government for Sudanese.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Globe Post.
ShareTweet
David L. Phillips and Mufadal Mufadal

David L. Phillips and Mufadal Mufadal

Mr. Phillips is the Director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights. Mr. Mufadal is with Columbia’s School of Professional Studies and a member of the Sudanese community in New York

Related Posts

Mar-A-Lago raid
National

FBI Raid on Trump’s Home Ignites Political Firestorm

by Staff Writer
August 9, 2022
Protesters stand with placards in front of the statue of India's independence leader Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, central London, after a demonstration outside the US Embassy
Featured

Considering the Patience of Gandhi for These Troubled Times

by Stephen J. Lyons
August 5, 2022
US President Donald Trump
Opinion

Owning the Words and the Libs

by Stephen J. Lyons
June 16, 2022
Officers in Uvalde, Texas, stand outside Robb Elementary School near a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims
Opinion

Child Sacrifice Makes a Comeback

by Stephen J. Lyons
June 3, 2022
A man holding a gun
Featured

Safely Back in USA, Land of Guns and Burgers

by Stephen J. Lyons
May 2, 2022
US Capitol riot
National

Trump ‘More Likely Than Not’ Obstructed Congress: US Judge

by Staff Writer
March 28, 2022
Next Post
Arab Israelis with Palestinian flags

Nine in Ten Palestinians Distrust US Economic Plan: Poll

US Senator Bob Menendez.

US Senator Says Libya Shipments Could End UAE Arms Sales

Recommended

Mar-A-Lago raid

FBI Raid on Trump’s Home Ignites Political Firestorm

August 9, 2022
Ukraine nuclear plant

Ukraine Calls for De-Militarization of Occupied Nuclear Plant

August 8, 2022
Toru Kubota

Myanmar Junta Charges Japanese Journalist With Encouraging Dissent

August 4, 2022
Nancy Pelosi

Taiwan Defiant as China Readies Military Drills Over Pelosi Visit

August 3, 2022
Protesters stand with placards in front of the statue of India's independence leader Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, central London, after a demonstration outside the US Embassy

Considering the Patience of Gandhi for These Troubled Times

August 5, 2022
Antonio Guterres

UN Chief Warns Humanity ‘One Miscalculation Away From Nuclear Annihilation’

August 1, 2022

Opinion

Protesters stand with placards in front of the statue of India's independence leader Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, central London, after a demonstration outside the US Embassy

Considering the Patience of Gandhi for These Troubled Times

August 5, 2022
US President Donald Trump

Owning the Words and the Libs

June 16, 2022
Officers in Uvalde, Texas, stand outside Robb Elementary School near a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims

Child Sacrifice Makes a Comeback

June 3, 2022
A Lebanese election official stands at a polling station

New Group Threatens Lebanese Elections… and Potentially Middle East Peace

May 18, 2022
A man holding a gun

Safely Back in USA, Land of Guns and Burgers

May 2, 2022
China Muslim Uyghurs

Unfair Politicization, Corruption, and the Death of Modern Olympism

April 23, 2022
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post