The United Kingdom on Friday sanctioned four senior commanders of the Rapid Support Forces, RSF, suspected of carrying out atrocities in El Fasher, Sudan, including mass killings and deliberate attacks on thousands of civilians.
They are Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, RSF Deputy Leader and brother of the RSF leader, General Hemedti; Gedo Hamdan Ahmed – Commander for the North Darfur; Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris – Brigadier General; and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed – Field Commander.
The UK says there are reasonable grounds that the quartet participated in ethnically targeted executions, systematic sexual violence, including gang rape, abductions for ransom, arbitrary detentions, and assaults on health facilities and humanitarian workers.
The sanctioned individuals now face asset freezes and travel bans. Britain maintains that RSF’s actions in El Fasher are not random but are part of a deliberate strategy to terrorise populations and seize control through fear and violence.
Noting that the impact of their actions is visible from space, the UK government cited satellite images of El Fasher which show blood-stained sand, clusters of bodies, and evidence of mass graves where victims have been burned and buried.
The Home Office says there must be accountability for the actions, and urgent steps taken to avoid similar cruelty, adding that blacklisting the RSF commanders sends a clear message that culprits of barbarism will be held to account.
“The atrocities taking place in Sudan are so horrific they scar the conscience of the world,” said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. “The sanctions against RSF commanders strike directly at those with blood on their hands.”
Cooper averred that the overwhelming evidence of heinous crimes such as mass executions, starvation, and the systematic and calculated use of rape as a weapon of war, “cannot and will not go unpunished.”
The Secretary further pledged that the United Kingdom will always stand with the people of Sudan, as evident in the strengthened aid package aimed at delivering lifesaving support to those suffering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Britain has repeatedly condemned the violence perpetrated by the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Last month, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a UK-led resolution condemning the atrocities and securing consensus to mandate an urgent inquiry into atrocities in El Fasher.
In September, the United States sanctioned Islamist actors, Gebreil Ibrahim Mohamed Fediel (Gebreil) and Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade (BBMB) for “undermining peace and stability” in Sudan. This week, the U.S. again sanctioned Colombian individuals and entities for supporting the RSF.
Sudan: UK sanctions RSF commanders over atrocities in El Fasher
