The UK government has imposed travel bans and asset freezes on commanders from both sides of Sudan’s war whom it suspects of sexual violence during the siege of El Fasher.
On 26 October, the UK imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 15 Sudanese commanders over suspected sexual violence during the siege of El Fasher, the Foreign Office said in the Guardian’s report that day. The Foreign Office also said it had allocated £15 million for survivor support and humanitarian aid in Sudan, Al Jazeera said on 26 October.
The sanctions target commanders from both sides of Sudan’s ongoing war: the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). They restrict travel to the UK and freeze assets under UK jurisdiction; they are not criminal convictions.
Alongside the sanctions, the Foreign Office announced two funding allocations for Sudan:
| Purpose | Amount allocated |
|---|---|
| Support for survivors of sexual violence | £5 million |
| Humanitarian aid | £10 million |
The Foreign Office identified Hussein Abu Jalak, an RSF colonel, as linked to alleged atrocities during the siege. It also named Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, known as “Al-Qubba”, as having played a prominent role in besieging and attacking El Fasher.
The joint statement estimates that 41% of Sudan’s population faces acute food insecurity, including five million at emergency levels, and calls for safe, unrestricted aid access.
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The sanctions marked the first anniversary of El Fasher’s fall to the RSF after an 18-month siege. The Guardian said up to 10,000 men, women and children were believed to have been killed over two days during the takeover. The siege had forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to live on animal feed.
The Foreign Office said it hoped the sanctions would make the horrors at El Fasher known to the world.
An official blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for strikes on five power stations, while residents described risks to refrigerated medicine, food stocks and efforts to resume farming.
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A young worker supporting his siblings was among the reported dead. Sudan’s military leader reportedly ordered an investigation into the attack near the Egyptian border.
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