The US prepares to announce sanctions against Sudan's army chief

Multiple sources have told the news agency, Reuters, that the United States is set to impose sanctions on Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on Thursday.

This comes a week after it announced the same measures against his rival, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo who leads the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The paramilitary group and the army have been engaged in two years of civil war which has seen tens of thousands of people killed.

Millions of Sudanese have been driven from their homes by the fighting, displaced both internally and to neighbouring countries, and half the population faces hunger.

Washington’s decision to impose sanctions on Burhan as well is being described as a move to show it is not picking sides.

The US has previously accused both the army and the RSF of human rights violations.

As the humanitarian situation in Sudan reaches catastrophic levels, a diplomat said the grounds for Burhan’s sanctions include the army’s targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure and the blocking of aid.

Humanitarian organisations have said the army is refusing to let United Nations aid convoys into the country through a vital border crossing at Adré.

Experts have warned that the country could soon face one of the world’s worst famines in decades.