UK Sanctions 15 Sudanese Figures Over Atrocities During El-Fasher Siege

The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on 15 military commanders, militia leaders and security officials from both sides of Sudan's civil war. They are accused of committing war crimes during the fall of the city of el-Fasher.

Those targeted include commanders from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces. The accusations cover sexual violence, torture and attacks on civilians. The measures consist of travel bans and asset freezes. The UK Foreign Office said the broader goal is to make sure "the horrors that took place at El Fasher will be known to the world".

The announcement followed the publication of UK-funded reporting by the Centre for Information Resilience. According to the Foreign Office, that work exposed a campaign of "systematic starvation and conflict-related sexual violence against civilians in Sudan".

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on Monday that those responsible for crimes against humanity "must be held accountable and support from all external backers to the warring parties must end". He described the war as having created "a humanitarian catastrophe".

Miliband added that, a year on from the atrocities in el-Fasher, UK-funded investigations had shown that rape and starvation are still being used as weapons against the people of Sudan.

Two of the individuals named in the Foreign Office statement are Hussein Abu Jalak and Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, who is also known as "al-Qubba". Abu Jalak is an RSF colonel linked to atrocities during the siege of el-Fasher. Adam was identified as having been present and playing a prominent role in besieging and attacking the city.

The sanctions arrive one year after el-Fasher fell. The city became a focal point of the war last year, as civilians endured a prolonged siege. Reports from the period describe mass killings, widespread sexual violence and attacks on hospitals.

Alongside the sanctions, the UK said it has allocated 5 million pounds ($6.6m) to support survivors of sexual violence in Sudan, as well as a further 10 million pounds ($13.3m) in humanitarian aid.

According to Amnesty International, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and 14 million people have been displaced since the war began in April 2023.