US sanctions Sudan's Central Reserve Police over 'serious' rights abuses

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US sanctioned Sudan's Central Reserve Police (CRP) on Monday due to alleged "serious human rights abuses" it carried out against anti-coup protesters.

In announcing the penalties, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was acting to "hold to account those perpetrating abuses and to deter future violence" amid "ongoing" reports of rape, killings, torture, and arbitrary arrests being carried out by the CRP.

"These actions are unacceptable and contrary to the Sudanese people’s desire for freedom, peace, and justice in their country," he said in a statement. "All abuses against protesters by CRP officers must be stopped."

The CRP is a militarized police force, which the US says has been at the "forefront" of efforts to crack down on demonstrators protesting against October's coup.

The Treasury Department said that on just one day in January, the force opened live fire on protesters at the University of Khartoum’s Faculty of Medicine, resulting in at least two deaths.

Sudan has been in turmoil since Oct. 25, 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political groups as a “military coup.”

Prior to the military takeover, Sudan was governed by a sovereign council of military and civilian officials tasked with overseeing the transition period until elections in 2023.