The Sudanese general has been accused of "deadly attacks" on civilians in an ongoing war with the SSF paramilitary force.

Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has imposed sanctions on Sudanese armed forces leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accusing him of destabilizing the war-torn country.

The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement on Thursday that under Burhan's leadership, the Sudanese Armed Forces "carried out deadly attacks against civilians, including airstrikes on protected infrastructure such as schools, markets and hospitals."

"The Sudanese Armed Forces also frequently and deliberately deny humanitarian access and use food deprivation as a war tactic," the report said.

Just days ago, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese paramilitary group, since April 2023 has been locked in a war with the Sudanese Armed Forces.

The U.S. Treasury Department said on January 7 that under Dagalo's leadership, "Doctors Without Borders has committed serious human rights violations, including widespread sexual violence and the execution of unarmed civilians and unarmed fighters."

Washington also accuses Doctors Without Borders and its allied militias of committing genocide in Sudan's western Darfur region.

Sudan's war has killed thousands and plunged the country into a severe humanitarian crisis.

According to the United Nations, more than 8 million Sudanese are internally displaced and another 3 million have fled to neighboring countries.

A U.N.-backed group that monitors global hunger also warned late last month that famine was spreading rapidly across Sudan, with famine also confirmed in parts of Darfur and elsewhere.

Asked about Thursday's sanctions at a news conference in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that Sudanese armed forces "continue to target civilians in the country."

"This has hindered progress in the peace process. It has repeatedly refused to participate in the ceasefire talks we seek to convene," Blinken said.

"Together with Médecins Sans Frontières, it has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, where people are suffering every day."

Blinken also expressed hope that the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who took office on Monday, can continue efforts to end the conflict.

"For me, yes, another real regret is that on Sudan we were not able to succeed under our leadership," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Burhan expressed defiance at the prospect of being targeted.

"Any sanctions that serve the country, we will welcome," he told Al Jazeera Arabic.