The executive order signed by Biden on Thursday authorizes future sanctions against individuals determined to be destabilizing the country and “undermining Sudan’s democratic transition,” as well as committing violence against civilians or perpetuating other human rights abuses.
Mr. Biden described the violence as a tragedy and a disloyalty to the Sudanese people.
He stated that the unrest in Sudan posed an “extraordinary and exceptional threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States”.
The conflict in Sudan is likely to be prolonged, according to the director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, who told a US Senate committee that both sides believed they could win militarily and had limited incentives to engage in negotiations.
Despite the most recent ceasefire, there has been continuous heavy fighting in the capital, Khartoum, as well as in the adjacent cities of Omdurman and Bahri.
Since the outbreak of fighting last month, the World Food Programme has estimated that over $13 million (£10.3 million) worth of food aid that was intended for Sudan has been looted.
The WFP has reported that looting in the country is rampant.
The UN children’s agency, Unicef, has cautioned that the situation is on the brink of catastrophe, with children increasingly becoming victims of the conflict.
