UK sanctions 15 RSF and SAF commanders over atrocities in Sudan, a year after El Fasher fell

On 26 October, one year after the fall of El Fasher, the UK government announced sanctions on 15 senior commanders from both sides of Sudan’s war, along with new funding for survivors of sexual violence and for humanitarian aid. The announcement came in a press release from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

Who is sanctioned

According to the FCDO, the 15 commanders come from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and are sanctioned for suspected atrocities, including conflict-related sexual violence. Two names are given. Hussein Abu Jalak is described as an RSF colonel linked to atrocities during the siege of El Fasher, and Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, known as “Al-Qubba”, is identified as present and playing a prominent role in besieging and attacking the city. The measures are a travel ban and an asset freeze. The FCDO says they follow five earlier rounds of UK sanctions related to the conflict in Sudan.

Money for survivors and aid

The UK said it is allocating £5 million to services for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, including sexual and reproductive healthcare, maternal health services, psychosocial support and safe spaces for women and girls. A further £10 million is earmarked for the humanitarian response, with clean water and sanitation in displacement sites around Tawila and health and protection services in El Obeid, where the FCDO says restrictions on humanitarian access have left civilians facing acute needs. London links the funding to a risk of famine driven by attacks on markets, health facilities and displacement camps, obstruction of aid and El Nino-induced drought.

The reporting behind it

The announcement follows UK-funded reporting by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR). The FCDO says this reporting shows a campaign of systematic starvation and conflict-related sexual violence against civilians by both sides. It also says CIR-sourced footage shows RSF fighters discussing shutting off water supplies to El Fasher and preventing traders from bringing food into the city. These are the UK government’s characterisations of the reporting; the RSF and the SAF have not commented in the release.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said that “rape and starvation are still being weaponised against the people of Sudan” and that support from external backers to the warring parties must end. He called on the RSF and the SAF to stop attacking aid convoys and let food reach communities.

Background

The FCDO’s account is that El Fasher fell to the RSF a year ago after an eighteen-month siege, followed by massacres and sexual violence against civilians. Earlier this month Geopolitiki reported on the UN Security Council debate in which the UK pressed for tougher sanctions and a truce: Sudan at the Security Council: UK urges tougher sanctions and a truce a year after El Fasher fell.

The sanctions are a unilateral UK measure and bind only those within its jurisdiction. The release does not say whether other governments will follow with matching designations.