The United States has sanctioned the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, accusing Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of destabilizing the war-torn Northeast African nation and undermining peace efforts.

The United States on Tuesday night announced sanctions against Sudanese paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, also known as Hemedti. Washington accuses the head of the Rapid Support Forces, of committing genocide in Sudan.

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on its website on Thursday that Burhan was being sanctioned alongside Ahmad Abdalla, a Sudanese-Ukrainian national and an official of the Defense Industries System (DIS),) and Portex Trade Limited, a Hong Kong-based company controlled by Abdalla.

In a brief statement, the US treasury department accused Gen Burhan of "destabilizing Sudan and undermining the goal of a democratic transition". The announcement follows reports of the killing of civilians in the central city of Wad Madani in recent days,