U.S. Religious Freedom Watchdog Urges Sanctions on RSF in Sudan

A U.S. government advisory body has recommended designating Sudan’s RSF as a religious freedom violator following documented attacks on mosques, clergy, and minority communities during the country’s ongoing civil war.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in its 2026 annual report that RSF should be designated an “entity of particular concern,” citing systematic violations against religious institutions and communities during the conflict.

The recommendation, released March 4, follows what the commission described as widespread and egregious abuses throughout 2025. USCIRF said RSF forces targeted religious sites, threatened clerics, and displaced communities in territories under their control during Sudan’s civil war.

One incident highlighted in the report was a September 2025 drone strike in el-Fasher that struck a mosque, killing more than 70 people.

Recent attacks have further fueled concerns over RSF conduct in the conflict. In North Kordofan, RSF forces targeted a mosque in the Ahmed al-Badawi Quranic complex and the Ali al Karar school during a strike on Wednesday. The attack killed two children and injured 13 others, according to local reports.

Investigators also documented cases where RSF fighters looted or repurposed houses of worship during military operations.

USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department designate the RSF as an “entity of particular concern” (EPC), a classification applied to non-state actors responsible for severe violations of religious freedom. The designation typically applies to armed groups exercising territorial or political control outside formal state authority.

International scrutiny of the RSF has intensified as the conflict deepens. UN-backed experts said atrocities committed by the paramilitary group in el-Fasher bear the hallmarks of genocide following an 18-month siege and the city’s fall in October 2025.

The UN report cited widespread ethnic killings, sexual violence, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, adding to growing calls for accountability.

Sudan’s civil war has been described by humanitarian organizations as one of the world’s worst ongoing crises, with millions displaced and large areas outside effective state governance.

Such incidents have reinforced claims that religious and civilian sites remain exposed as the war continues across multiple regions of Sudan.

USCIRF said the breakdown of governance in contested territories has left religious institutions and leaders increasingly vulnerable to violence, intimidation, and displacement.

While USCIRF’s recommendations are not legally binding, they often shape U.S. diplomatic pressure and can lead to sanctions or other punitive measures against organizations accused of human rights violations.

The commission, an independent bipartisan body established by the U.S. government, monitors religious freedom globally and advises the president, the secretary of state, and Congress on potential responses.