EU to sanction Sudan RSF paramilitary group's deputy chief, diplomats say

BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) -The European Union is expected to impose sanctions on Abdelrahim Dagalo, deputy commander of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in Sudan that has been accused of human rights abuses, three European diplomats said on Wednesday.

EU foreign ministers are expected to approve the sanctions at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday, the diplomats said. EU sanctions consist of a ban on travel to the bloc and the seizure of any assets held there.

The conflict erupted in 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, whose recent takeover of al-Fashir, one of Sudan's largest cities, has raised grave concerns about mass killings.

The war has created what the U.N. has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis at a time when global aid budgets are shrinking.

"France is fully committed to achieving a ceasefire in Sudan and combating impunity," a French diplomatic source said. "To this end, it supports the use of all appropriate means, including European sanctions."

One of the European sources said there was consensus in the bloc to impose sanctions on Dagalo, the brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

Two sources said the idea was to adopt a step-by-step approach to sanctions and leave a channel of dialogue open.

As the RSF took over the city of al-Fashir in the Darfur region last month, people were shot in the streets, targeted in drone strikes and crushed by trucks, witnesses told Reuters.

An RSF leader told Reuters investigations were underway and anyone proven to have committed abuses would be held accountable, but that reports of violations in al-Fashir had been exaggerated by the army and its allies.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Tuesday London planned to introduce sanctions relating to human rights violations and abuses in Sudan, stressing the need for sustained efforts to secure a ceasefire.

(Reporting by John Irish, Julia Payne and Andrew Gray; Writing by Andrew Gray and John Irish; editing by Inti Landauro, Benoit Van Overstraeten and Ed Osmond)