Washington Lawmaker Wants RSF, M23 Rebels Officially Declared Terrorists

TWV Foreign Desk

A United States senator has introduced a motion urging the designation of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the M23 rebel movement of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as foreign terrorist organisations. Senator James Risch has submitted an amendment to Bill 2296, which authorises appropriations for the fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the US Department of Defence, military construction, and defence activities of the Department of Energy.

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The amendment calls for an investigation to determine whether the two rebel movements meet the legal threshold to be classified as foreign terrorist organisations. The RSF, a paramilitary force, has been engaged in Sudan’s civil war since early 2023, fighting against the Sudan Armed Forces. In early 2025, the US Department of State designated the RSF for committing acts of genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region. The United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) have similarly charged the RSF and its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, alias Hemedti, with war crimes and genocide, particularly targeting the Massalit community in South Darfur.

Two weeks ago, the RSF declared a parallel government for Sudan based in Nyala, South Darfur. This followed a controversial resolution adopted in Nairobi in February 2025 by the RSF and its militia allies. In response, the Sudanese government recalled its ambassador to Kenya, Jamal Gubara, banned the importation of Kenyan goods, and accused President William Ruto of offering financial, political, and diplomatic support to the RSF, allegations Nairobi has strongly denied.

Several senior RSF officials are reported to reside openly in Nairobi. They are accused of controlling significant gold smuggling and money-laundering operations through opaque companies registered in Kenya.

In a related motion published on 1st August 2025, Senator Risch alleged that Kenyan officials maintain links not only with the RSF but also with Somalia’s Al-Shabaab terrorist group. He further called for the revocation of Kenya’s Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status, bestowed by former President Joe Biden in 2024, citing alleged intelligence misuse, human rights abuses, and growing diplomatic ties between Nairobi and China, Iran, and Russia.

The M23 rebel group, known by its French name Mouvement du 23 Mars, is a Rwanda-backed armed militia operating in eastern DRC. Like the RSF, M23 has also been accused of committing war crimes. The Congolese government claims that M23 leaders are being harboured in Kenya, from where they allegedly coordinate attacks in the eastern DRC.

Last month, Rwanda and the DRC signed a US-brokered agreement aimed at ending hostilities in the region, improving bilateral security and trade, and granting the United States greater access to the DRC’s vast mineral reserves.

The United Nations and several Western countries have accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of providing financial and military support to the RSF. A UN Security Council report dated 15th January 2024 claimed some of this aid transited through Kenyan airports, the same day Hemedti reportedly held a meeting with President Ruto in Nairobi.

Senator Risch’s amendment proposal mandates that the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in consultation with Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pam Bondi, “conduct an assessment of whether [the two groups] meet the criteria for designation as foreign terrorist organisations under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).”

A Congressional document dated 1st August 2025 stipulates that the designated officials must complete the assessment within 90 days of the resolution’s enactment.

It further states:

“Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a classified report containing the results of the assessment described in subsection (a).
(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEFINED. In this section, the term ‘congressional committees’ means:
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.

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