World

UK Imposes Sanctions on 15 Sudanese Military Leaders Over El Fasher Rape Allegations

By Mark Townsend

On the first anniversary of the El Fasher massacre, the United Kingdom sanctioned 15 senior commanders from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) who were suspected of sexual violence during the siege of the city. The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes. The Foreign Office said the action would help ensure that the "horrors that took place at El Fasher will be known to the world." The RSF’s takeover of El Fasher, which ended an 18‑month starvation siege allegedly backed by the United Arab Emirates, saw up to 10,000 civilians killed over two days and left an additional 40,000 unaccounted for. The city’s prewar population of more than 1 million has fallen to fewer than 70,000 residents. Reports describe ongoing detention, torture and unlawful killings inside the city. Among those sanctioned are RSF colonel Hussein Abu Jalak, linked to atrocities that forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to survive on animal feed, and Al‑Nour Ahmed Adam, also known as “Al‑Qubba,” who played a prominent role in the attack. A Guardian investigation earlier this year revealed that internal US and UK warnings were ignored before the RSF attack, and that actions that might have saved lives were not taken. The Coalition on Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan marked the anniversary with a statement that the victims will not be forgotten, survivors will be heard, and accountability will continue to be pursued. Over the past year, Sudan’s conflict has escalated into a drone war, with the RSF recently causing mass power outages across eastern Sudan by targeting power stations with coordinated drone attacks.