UK sanctions Sudanese military leaders implicated in El Fasher ‘campaign of rape’

Senior Sudanese commanders implicated in a “campaign of rape” have been targeted by the UK on the first anniversary of a mass atrocity that saw tens of thousands of civilians killed over several days.

A year after the fall of El Fasher, the British government said it had sanctioned military leaders from both sides in the country’s ongoing conflict whom it suspected of sexual violence during the siege of the city.

A total of 15 commanders from the military groups – the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) – have been subjected to a travel ban and an asset freeze.

The Foreign Office said it hoped the action 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 – the fastest and largest massacre of civilians this century. Another 40,000 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 (UAE). 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. Life inside the city continues to be horrendous, with testimony indicating routine detention, torture and unlawful killings.

Individuals targeted by the UK’s latest sanctions include 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 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.

A statement to mark the anniversary of the massacre from 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.”

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.

The latest strikes saw the RSF causing mass power outages across east Sudan after targeting power stations with a coordinated drone attack.