Washington, June 11 (Darfur24)
A bipartisan group of senior US senators on Wednesday introduced legislation that would expand sanctions against individuals and entities accused of fueling Sudan’s conflict and obstructing efforts to end the war.
The proposed Preventing External Aggression and Conflict Escalation (PEACE) in Sudan Act of 2026 was introduced by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch and Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen, alongside Senators Chris Coons and John Cornyn.
The bill directs the US Secretary of State to assess whether armed actors in Sudan meet the criteria for designation as Specially Designated Global Terrorists and broadens the administration’s authority to impose sanctions.
Under the proposed legislation, the US president would be authorized to sanction individuals found responsible for supplying weapons to the warring parties, recruiting child soldiers, directing foreign military forces operating in Sudan, smuggling natural resources, including gold and gum arabic, or obstructing humanitarian assistance.
The bill also requires the State Department to submit a comprehensive strategy for securing a ceasefire in Sudan, report on foreign governments and actors contributing to the conflict, and extend authorization for a US special envoy for Sudan.
“The war in Sudan is a humanitarian catastrophe, a source of instability in Africa, and a threat to US national security,” Senator Risch said in a statement, describing the legislation as a bipartisan effort to increase pressure on both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as their supporters.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the army and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the military.
The war has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing nearly 13 million others.
In January 2025, the United States determined that the RSF and allied militias had committed genocide in Sudan.
The introduction of the bill comes amid growing calls in Washington for stronger measures to curb external support for the conflict. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said that “something needs to be done” to halt weapons flows to the RSF as conditions for civilians continue to deteriorate.