UK sanctions Sudan commanders and pledges £15 million in aid

The UK has sanctioned 15 senior commanders from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) over suspected atrocities, including conflict related sexual violence, as it announced £15 million in new support for survivors and humanitarian operations in Sudan on the first anniversary of El Fasher’s fall.

In a statement by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office today, they said that the sanctions impose travel bans and asset freezes on those targeted.

They include RSF Colonel Hussein Abu Jalak and Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, known as Al-Qubba, whom the UK identified as having played prominent roles in the siege and attack on El Fasher, North Darfur’s capital.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said UK funded investigations had documented the continued use of rape and starvation as weapons of war.

“These are crimes against our humanity,” Miliband said, adding that perpetrators must face accountability and external support for the warring parties must end.

The UK allocated £5 million to support survivors of conflict related sexual violence, including through sexual and reproductive healthcare, maternal health services, psychosocial support and safe spaces for women and girls.

A further £10 million will support humanitarian operations, including clean water and sanitation at displacement sites around Tawila and essential health and protection services in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, where conflict and restrictions on humanitarian access have left civilians facing acute needs.

The announcement follows new reporting by the UK funded Centre for Information Resilience, which documented systematic starvation and sexual violence against civilians by both sides in the conflict. The UK government said evidence included footage of RSF fighters discussing cutting off El Fasher’s water supplies and preventing traders from bringing food into the city.

The government said the measures build on five previous rounds of UK sanctions related to Sudan’s conflict.