UK sanctions Sudanese military leaders implicated in El Fasher ‘campaign of rape’
The UK has imposed sanctions on 15 Sudanese military commanders from both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) implicated in a 'campaign of rape' during the siege of El Fasher.
The sanctions mark the first anniversary of a mass atrocity that saw tens of thousands of civilians killed over several days. During the RSF's takeover of the city, up to 10,000 men, women and children were slaughtered in what has been described as the fastest and largest massacre of civilians this century.
The killings came at the end of an 18-month starvation siege by the RSF, which allegedly had backing from the United Arab Emirates. The UAE continues to deny supporting the RSF. Fewer than 70,000 people remain in El Fasher, compared with a prewar population of over 1 million.
Targeted Commanders
Individuals targeted include Hussein Abu Jalak, an RSF colonel linked to atrocities during the siege, which forced hundreds of thousands to live off animal feed. Another is Al-Nour Ahmed Adam – known as 'Al-Qubba' – identified as playing a prominent role in the attack on the city.
The victims will not be forgotten, survivors will be heard, and we will continue to pursue accountability for those responsible.
Ongoing Conflict
Life inside El Fasher continues to be horrendous, with testimony indicating routine detention, torture and unlawful killings. Sudan's ruinous conflict has forced 14 million people to flee their homes and has increasingly developed into a drone war.
The latest strikes saw the RSF causing mass power outages across east Sudan after targeting power stations with a coordinated drone attack. A Guardian investigation revealed internal US and UK warnings were sidelined before the RSF attack on El Fasher.
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