In October 2025, the Rapid Support Forces militia stormed the city of El Fashir in Darfur, Sudan, after more than a year and a half of besieging the city. In only a few days, the militia committed a massacre that killed thousands of people, including hundreds at a hospital. Satellite images explain that the militia is preparing a mass burial to hide its crime. The rampage was not an isolated incident but brutal behavior brazenly displayed by the militia, documented by their own videos posted on social media and by open-source and other independent nongovernmental organizations for the world to see. 

These hideous violations, in addition to the growingly strong relationship with the Wagner Russian group, make it justifiable to designate the militia as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. 

When war erupted in Sudan in April 2023, it was framed as a domestic power struggle between the national army (Sudanese Armed Forces) and the RSF militia. But the conflict has torn apart communities, displaced millions of people, brought on a famine, and claimed thousands of lives in what the Biden administration called a genocide. Yet its endurance is no accident despite the increasing casualties.

The RSF was created in 2013 as part of the Sudanese government’s effort to rebrand the Janjaweed militia, whose genocidal campaigns in Darfur had drawn international condemnation. Initially framed as a counterinsurgency force operating in Darfur and South Kordofan, the RSF soon evolved into a powerful paramilitary organization with few constraints. In 2017, Sudan’s parliament formally legalized the group, a move critics say enshrined impunity rather than discipline. Since then, the RSF has been implicated in widespread atrocities — the burning of villages, summary executions, sexual violence, and the targeting of journalists. Hospitals, mosques, and schools have not been spared. Beneath the official language of “security operations,” the RSF’s campaign has left a trail of devastation and fear across parts of Sudan.

In August, U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, which requires the State Department, in consultation with the Treasury Department and the Attorney General, to assess whether the RSF militia should be designated as a terrorist organization. No action has yet been taken on the amendment. On Thursday, Risch and other bipartisan members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee released a statement saying, “The United States must consider the designation of the RSF as a potential Foreign Terrorist Organization or Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization, while establishing clear authorizations and mechanisms for the continued delivery of humanitarian aid.” 

The RSF meets all three criteria for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under US law.  First, it is a foreign organization. Second, the RSF committed actions that fall under the definition of terrorism and it’s responsible for genocide, mass killings, and deliberate starvation in Sudan in addition to targeting civilians, churches, mosques, and markets with systematic violence. On Jan. 7, 2025, the Biden administration described the acts of the militia as genocide. Third, the militia represents a serious threat to U.S. interests. For instance,  over the years, the militia has been developing a strong alliance with Russia’s Wagner Group, which provided the militia with weapons in exchange for smuggled gold to Russia via the UAE, undermining US sanctions. The UAE also utilized Wagner to funnel arms to the RSF militia via a complex network. Moreover, the RSF leader several times signaled his readiness to be the future russian ally in Sudan by openly defending the russian invasion of Ukraine and openness to a Russian military base on the Red Sea. Previously, the RSF leader threatened Europe with an influx of immigrants if its leaders didn’t agree with his political measures in Sudan. Potentially, the RSF militia could be part of Putin’s plot to weponization of immigration to Europe.  

Thousands have signed on to an online petition addressed to Congress to take this step

At the same time, it is crucial that such a designation not inadvertently hinder or criminalize legitimate humanitarian, journalistic, or human rights work in areas under RSF control. The State Department should pair the designation with clear safeguards to protect bona fide humanitarian assistance, independent reporting, human rights documentation, and personal remittances — all of which are vital to the survival of civilians trapped in the conflict.

It’s time for the U.S. to act decisively and designate the RSF as a terrorist organization. Such a move would deal a heavy blow to the militia’s operations and reputation, signaling that it has no place in Sudan’s political future. It would also protect U.S. national security and interests by curbing the spread of Russian-backed military influence across Africa.

Indeed, Europe and the UK should pursue similar designation measures to address the risk of the RSF militia.

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