UK sanctions Sudanese commanders over alleged El Fasher atrocities

Britain imposed sanctions on 15 senior commanders from Sudan’s rival military forces on October 26, citing suspected atrocities including conflict-related sexual violence. The announcement came on the first anniversary of the fall of El Fasher, where civilians suffered mass killings and widespread abuse following a prolonged siege.

The measures target figures from both the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, the British government said. Those designated face travel bans and asset freezes, extending the UK’s efforts to penalise individuals suspected of responsibility for violence against civilians.

El Fasher’s capture became a defining atrocity of Sudan’s conflict. The Guardian reported that tens of thousands of civilians were killed over several days, while the account supplied with its report described commanders suspected of involvement in a campaign of rape during the siege.

Earlier United Nations sanctions documentation described killings at El Fasher university and the Saudi hospital when the RSF took the city on October 26, 2025. The UN Security Council’s account also recorded reports of ethnically targeted executions of Zaghawa and other non-Arab communities, alongside widespread sexual violence.

That documentation, published in connection with the listing of RSF commander Gedo Hamdan Ahmed in February 2026, described civilians remaining trapped, missing or detained. It also reported the kidnapping of medical personnel for ransom, illustrating how violence against civilians extended beyond the initial assault on the city.

The latest British action follows earlier sanctions against senior RSF figures. In December 2025, the UK designated four commanders, including deputy leader Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, over suspected involvement in mass killings, sexual violence and deliberate attacks on civilians in El Fasher.

At that time, Britain also announced £21 million in emergency assistance for food, clean water, healthcare and protection services. Its December statement said it was supporting international accountability mechanisms and had invested £1.5 million in the Sudan Witness Project to document and verify human rights violations.

The new announcement pairs further financial and travel restrictions with assistance for survivors. Britain pledged £5 million for services addressing conflict-related sexual violence and another £10 million for humanitarian relief, including support for communities affected by displacement and restricted access to essential services.

The sanctions are measures against suspected perpetrators, rather than findings of criminal guilt. Their significance also lies in the decision to target commanders from both opposing forces, while keeping attention on abuses associated with El Fasher a year after the city’s fall.

The British government framed its next priorities around accountability, survivor support and humanitarian access. It warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure and obstruction of relief continue to threaten communities, leaving the delivery of assistance and protection of civilians central to the response beyond the sanctions announcement.