US House Foreign Affairs Committee Passes Bipartisan RSF Genocide Resolution 44–2, Calls for Terrorist Designation

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a bipartisan resolution recognizing the RSF's actions in Darfur as genocide and calling for the RSF to be formally designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The resolution, co-sponsored by Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Sara Jacobs (D-CA), passed with an overwhelming 44–2 vote. Sudan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement welcoming the resolution, calling it 'a step toward justice for the Sudanese people.' The resolution comes five months after the US State Department's formal genocide designation in January 2025, and elevates the legislative push to compel further executive action — including potential additional Treasury OFAC sanctions, further diplomatic isolation of RSF backers, and a pathway to prosecutorial referrals. An FTO designation, if enacted by the executive branch, would broadly criminalize material support for the RSF and complicate the UAE's financial relationships with RSF-affiliated entities. The 44–2 vote suggests strong congressional appetite for escalating pressure on RSF and its enablers. Critics noted that Congress passing non-binding resolutions and committee-level bills historically falls short of actual executive action; however, the bipartisan margin reflects unusual congressional consensus on Sudan's genocide. The resolution references the El Fasher massacre (October 2025), the ongoing famine in which Sudan is the world's hungriest nation, and the OHCHR documentation of drone strikes killing 880+ civilians in January–April 2026.