EU Sanctions Sudanese General, Forgetting Its Own History
According to The New Arab, the EU is finally targeting Abdelrahim Dagalo, the RSF's deputy commander, for human rights abuses. This, of course, comes after sustained, documented atrocities by the very same group that, until recently, was viewed by some Western powers as a potential 'stabilizing force' or counter-terrorism partner—a narrative eerily familiar to the West's past dealings with various
unsavory actors across the globe. The EU’s sudden pivot begs the question: how many massacres does it take to lose official patience? This sanctioning, while seemingly a step toward justice, also highlights a peculiar amnesia. Western governments, including EU members, have a rich history of propping up, funding, or simply ignoring the human rights abuses of paramilitary groups and dictators when
it serves their geopolitical interests. It's almost as if 'human rights abuses' only become a problem when the targeted group is no longer politically convenient, or when local civilian resistance becomes too loud to ignore. How many other 'deputy chiefs' supported by Western interests are currently operating with impunity?