The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on 15 senior military commanders linked to the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, citing their roles in severe human rights abuses during the siege of El Fasher. These measures, which include comprehensive travel bans and asset freezes, coincide with the first anniversary of the city’s fall to paramilitary forces. Commanders suspected of sexual violence during the largest and fastest slaughter of civilians in more than 30 years have been subjected to travel ban and asset freeze.
British authorities stated that this action seeks to hold perpetrators accountable and ensure the world remains aware of the atrocities committed during the campaign. The takeover of the city, which followed an 18-month starvation blockade, resulted in one of the century’s deadliest civilian massacres. Estimates suggest up to 10,000 people were killed within two days, while 40,000 others remain missing. According to the Foreign Office, It hoped the action would ensure “the horrors that took place at El Fasher will be known to the world”. Up to 10,000 men, women and children are believed to have been slaughtered over two days – the fastest and largest massacre of civilians this century, during the RSF’s takeover of the city. Another 40,000 remain unaccounted for.
Once a hub for over a million residents, El Fasher now holds fewer than 70,000 people. Reports from within the city detail a climate of ongoing terror, characterized by frequent unlawful detentions, torture, and executions. Among those sanctioned are RSF colonel Hussein Abu Jalak and a commander known as Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, or “Al-Qubba,” both of whom are accused of playing critical roles in the offensive. Fewer than 70,000 people are believed to remain in El Fasher, compared with a prewar population of more than 1 million. With testimony indicating routine detention, torture and unlawful killings, life inside the city continues to be horrendous.
The RSF, which has been allegedly supported by the United Arab Emirates, continues to face international scrutiny for its operations.
The UAE has consistently denied providing any military assistance to the group.
Further complications have emerged as the broader conflict in Sudan, which has displaced 14 million people, increasingly transitions into a drone-based war, recently evidenced by power outages across eastern regions. During the 12 months since the fall of El Fasher, Sudan’s ruinous conflict – which has forced 14 million people to flee their homes – has developed increasingly into a drone war.
Investigations previously revealed that warnings from US and UK officials regarding the impending attack on El Fasher went unheeded at the time, leaving potential opportunities for intervention missed. As the anniversary passes, the Coalition on Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan has vowed to continue its efforts to secure justice for survivors and honor the victims of the conflict. And that action that might have saved lives was not taken, a Guardian investigation earlier this year revealed internal US and UK warnings were sidelined in the run-up to the RSF attack on El Fasher.
