The United Kingdom has announced sanctions against senior figures of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces RSF over alleged atrocities committed in the Darfur city of El Fasher, which the paramilitary group seized in October.
According to the UK Foreign Office, those affected by the sanctions include Abdelrahim Hamdan Daglo, the RSF’s second in command and brother of the group’s leader, Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, alongside three other senior commanders.
British authorities accused the sanctioned individuals of being responsible for grave abuses, including attacks on civilians, during the capture of El Fasher, the Sudanese army’s final stronghold in western Darfur. As a result of the measures, they are now subject to asset freezes and travel restrictions within the UK.
The UK government said the violence carried out by the RSF was intentional and strategic, describing it as “not random” but “part of a deliberate strategy to terrorise populations and seize control through fear and violence”.
It added that satellite imagery revealed evidence of mass graves where victims were burned and buried, stating that the sanctions send “a clear message that those who commit atrocities will be held to account”.
The European Union had previously imposed similar sanctions on Abdelrahim Hamdan Daglo last month.
Announcing the measures, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the situation in Sudan, saying the crimes being committed “are so horrific they scar the conscience of the world”.
“The overwhelming evidence of heinous crimes, mass executions, starvation, and the systematic and calculated use of rape as a weapon of war, cannot and will not go unpunished,” she said.
“The UK will not look away, and we will always stand with the people of Sudan.”
The governor of Darfur, Minni Minawi, who is aligned with the Sudanese army, welcomed the UK’s action, describing it as “an important step toward holding accountable those responsible for the crimes and violations witnessed in Sudan in recent times”.
However, he argued that the sanctions were insufficient without action against RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, saying they “remain incomplete” because “as he is the decision maker and the direct architect of the violence system”.
Alongside the sanctions, the UK government also announced an additional £21 million in humanitarian assistance to support food supplies, clean water, healthcare services, and protection for women and children in areas worst affected by the conflict.
Officials said the latest funding brings Britain’s total aid contribution to Sudan this year to £146 million.
