Britain sanctions Sudanese commanders over weaponised rape

The United Kingdom has sanctioned 15 Sudanese military commanders, militia leaders and security officials from both sides of the ongoing civil war accused of committing war crimes during the fall of the city of el-Fasher.

Commanders from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces were sanctioned for sexual violence, torture and attacks on civilians. The measures include travel bans and asset freezes, with the wider aim of ensuring that “the horrors that took place at El Fasher will be known to the world”, the UK Foreign Office said.

The announcement came after the release of UK-funded reporting by the Centre for Information Resilience, which revealed a campaign of “systematic starvation and conflict-related sexual violence against civilians in Sudan”, the Foreign Office added.

On Monday, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said those who perpetrated crimes against humanity “must be held accountable and support from all external backers to the warring parties must end”.

The move comes one year after the fall of the city of el-Fasher, which became a focal point of Sudan’s war last year as civilians faced a prolonged siege, reported mass killings, widespread sexual violence and attacks on hospitals.

According to Miliband, “The war in Sudan has created a humanitarian catastrophe.”

“A year on from the atrocities in El Fasher, UK-funded investigations have shown that rape and starvation are still being weaponised against the people of Sudan,” he said.

Sanctions were announced against Hussein Abu Jalak, an RSF colonel linked to atrocities during the siege of el-Fasher, and Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, also known as “al-Qubba”, who was identified as present and playing a prominent role in besieging and attacking the city, the Foreign Office added in the statement.

It added that the UK has allocated five million pounds ($6.6m) to support survivors of sexual violence in Sudan and another 10 million pounds ($13.3m) in humanitarian aid.

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and 14 million people displaced since the war broke out in April 2023, according to Amnesty International.