US 'scraps plans to sanction Sudan's Hemedti' over sit-in massacre

The United States has reportedly ended plans to sanction the notorious deputy chief of the ruling military council over his alleged involvement in a deadly raid in June on protesters.

US officials told Foreign Policy that the Trump administration has "tabled" the measures targeting Mohamed "Hemedti" Dagalo and his feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The sanctions were scrapped "so as not to upset the fragile peace talks" between civilian leaders and the military council, which took power after a nationwide protest movement ousted longtime leader Omar al-Bashir.

A joint probe by prosecutors and the ruling military council on Saturday said Hemedti did not order the dispersal, instead blaming RSF officers of carrying out the crackdown on their own initiative.

Sudanese opposition groups have rejected the findings and protesters have demanded an independent probe.

The Sudanese Professionals' Association, which has been spearheading the protests since December, said the prosecutors had no credibility and were loyal to Bashir.

Shortly before dawn on June 3, gunmen in military fatigues raided the site of a weeks-long sit-in in the capital Khartoum, shooting and beating protesters.

Doctors linked to the protest movement say the raid left 127 people dead and scores wounded.

The joint investigation found that just 17 people were killed on June 3, with a total of 87 dying between that day and June 10.

The probe identified eight officers involved in the violent crackdown on the protest camp, including an RSF general, colonel and captain.

The RSF, which originated out of the feared Janjaweed militia accused of atrocities in Darfur, are under the command of Hemedti.

Hemedti has insisted he did not order the dispersal of the sit-in.

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