US imposes sanctions on Sudan's de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan

United States sanctions on Sudan’s army chief and de facto leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, have come into effect.

The news on Thursday came a week after Washington 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 nearly two years of civil war which has seen tens of thousands of people killed.

Over 12 million Sudanese have been driven from their homes by the fighting which has pushed the country to the brink of famine.

Washington accuses Burhan of choosing civil war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict.

It says that under his leadership, the army has indiscriminately bombed civilian infrastructure and conducted extrajudicial killings.

The US also alleges, as do some humanitarian organisations, that the Sudanese army is responsible for denying access to aid, “using food deprivation as a war tactic”.

Sources said the US decision to impose sanctions on Burhan was to show that it was not picking sides.

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

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

Sudan has condemned the imposition of sanctions. These freeze any assets Burhan has in the US and also block US transactions with him.

Washington also issued sanctions over the supply of weapons to the army.