UK sanctions Sudan commanders over El Fasher 'campaign of rape'
The UK has sanctioned 15 senior commanders from Sudan's Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces, one year after the fall of El Fasher, over suspected sexual violence during the city's siege.
UK sanctions Sudan commanders over El Fasher 'campaign of rape'
Who is sanctioned
One year after El Fasher fell, the UK announced sanctions against commanders it suspects of sexual violence during the city's siege, in an action described as targeting a campaign of rape. The measures hit leaders from both sides of Sudan's war: the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The Foreign Office's Sudan sanctions impose a travel ban and an asset freeze on 15 commanders in total. Among those named are:
- Hussein Abu Jalak, an RSF colonel linked to atrocities during the siege, which forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to live off animal feed
- Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, also known as "Al-Qubba", identified as playing a prominent role in the attack on El Fasher
The Foreign Office said it hoped the action would ensure "the horrors that took place at El Fasher will be known to the world".
What happened in El Fasher
The RSF takeover of the city was followed by what is described as the fastest and largest massacre of civilians this century: up to 10,000 men, women and children are believed to have been killed over two days. Another 40,000 people remain unaccounted for after the El Fasher massacre.
The killings ended an 18-month starvation siege imposed by the RSF, which was allegedly backed by the UAE. The UAE denies supporting the RSF. Fewer than 70,000 people are believed to remain in El Fasher, against a prewar population of more than 1 million, with testimony of routine detention, torture and unlawful killings.
Warnings and accountability
A Guardian investigation earlier in 2026 found that internal US and UK warnings were sidelined in the run-up to the RSF attack, with no life-saving action taken.
Marking the anniversary, the Coalition on Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan said victims would not be forgotten, survivors would be heard, and it would keep pursuing accountability for those responsible.
Sudan's war one year on
In the 12 months since El Fasher fell, Sudan's conflict, which has displaced 14 million people, has increasingly become a drone war. The RSF recently caused mass power outages across east Sudan after targeting power stations with a coordinated drone attack.
