UK sanctions Sudanese officials implicated in mass sexual violence in el-Fasher

Members of both the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces were targeted by the sanctions A displaced Sudanese woman, who left el-Fasher after its fall, walks amid the remains of a fire that broke out at a camp in Tawila on 11 February 2026 (STR/AFP) Published date: 28 October 2026 15:28 GMT | Last update: 7 sec ago The UK has sanctioned a range of Sudanese officials, including those involved in the campaign of mass sexual violence in el-Fasher. A total of 15 commanders from both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) will now be subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze, the UK Foreign Office announced on Monday. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the new sanctions targeted "suspected atrocities" on both sides of the conflict, while highlighting the situation in the Darfur city of el-Fasher, which was subjected to a brutal takeover by the RSF last year. "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," he said in a statement. "These are crimes against our humanity - the perpetrators must be held accountable and support from all external backers to the warring parties must end." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters On 26 October 2025, after over 500 days of siege, the RSF launched its final offensive on el-Fasher. What followed was the largest single massacre to have taken place during Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023 between the RSF and the SAF and has led to the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Researchers at Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab said the speed and industrial scale of the killing could only be compared to the whole of the Rwandan genocide. How Sudan's RSF destroyed the survivors of its el-Fasher massacre Read More » RSF fighters, backed by the United Arab Emirates, which continues to deny its involvement, filmed themselves massacring civilians. Survivors described RSF fighters raping young women and girls, executing civilians, moving survivors to makeshift clinics to take blood from them, and extorting ordinary people and their families. The UK Foreign Office said its new sanctions would further ensure "the horrors that took place at El Fasher will be known to the world". British officials have been criticised in past for failing to hold the UAE, a close ally, to account over its alleged support for the RSF. The UN’s fact-finding mission has found reasonable grounds to believe that private companies and recruiters operating from the UAE have routed supplies through Chad and southeastern Libya, as well as Bosaso in Somalia. MEE has reported extensively on this supply network and on the use of army bases in Ethiopia to assist the RSF. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.