UK Sanctions 15 Sudanese Commanders Over Sexual Violence During El Fasher Siege

The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on senior Sudanese commanders accused of taking part in a "campaign of rape", marking one year since the fall of El Fasher, where tens of thousands of civilians were killed over several days.

The British government said it had targeted 15 commanders from both sides of Sudan's ongoing conflict, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), whom it suspects of sexual violence during the siege of the city. Those named face a travel ban and an asset freeze.

The Foreign Office said it hoped the measures would ensure "the horrors that took place at El Fasher will be known to the world".

During the RSF's takeover of the city, up to 10,000 men, women and children are believed to have been slaughtered over two days. That makes it the fastest and largest massacre of civilians this century. A further 40,000 people remain unaccounted for.

The killings came at the end of an 18-month starvation siege by the RSF, which was allegedly backed by the United Arab Emirates. The UAE continues to deny supporting the RSF. Fewer than 70,000 people are believed to remain in El Fasher, compared with a prewar population of more than 1 million. Testimony from inside the city points to routine detention, torture and unlawful killings.

Among those sanctioned is Hussein Abu Jalak, an RSF colonel linked to atrocities during the siege, which forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to live off animal feed. Another is Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, also known as "Al-Qubba", who was identified as playing a prominent role in the attack on the city.

A Guardian investigation earlier this year revealed that internal US and UK warnings were sidelined in the run-up to the RSF attack on El Fasher, and that action that might have saved lives was not taken.

To mark the anniversary, the Coalition on Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan said: "The victims will not be forgotten, survivors will be heard, and we will continue to pursue accountability for those responsible."

In the 12 months since El Fasher fell, Sudan's conflict, which has forced 14 million people to flee their homes, has increasingly become a drone war. In the latest strikes, the RSF caused mass power outages across east Sudan by targeting power stations in a coordinated drone attack.