Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has sanctioned 15 senior commanders from both sides of Sudan's civil war over suspected atrocities, including conflict-related sexual violence, a year after the city of El Fasher fell to the Rapid Support Forces.
Those targeted from the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces now face a travel ban and asset freeze. They include Hussein Abu Jalak, an RSF colonel linked to atrocities during the siege of El Fasher, and Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, known as "Al-Qubba", identified as playing a prominent role in besieging and attacking the city. It is the sixth round of UK sanctions linked to the conflict.
Ed Miliband: 'The world cannot ignore what is happening in Sudan'
"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," Ed Miliband said.
"These are crimes against our humanity - the perpetrators must be held accountable and support from all external backers to the warring parties must end. El Niño may worsen an already desperate situation, but whether famine takes hold is in the hands of the RSF and SAF - they must stop attacking aid convoys and let food reach communities."
£15 million for survivors and famine relief
The UK is providing £5 million for survivors of sexual violence, funding healthcare, psychosocial support and safe spaces for women and girls, and a further £10 million for the humanitarian response, including clean water and sanitation around Tawila and essential services in El Obeid.
The package follows UK-funded reporting by the Centre for Information Resilience showing that siege tactics, drone attacks on civilian infrastructure and the obstruction of aid are still being used across Sudan, with women and girls abducted and held in conditions amounting to sexual slavery.
Development and Africa minister Kirsty McNeill said: "The horrors of El Fasher must not be forgotten. One year on, the UK stands in solidarity with survivors and is taking action to promote accountability for human rights violations and abuses, including the use of rape and other atrocities as weapons of war."
