Britain has imposed sanctions on four senior commanders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over alleged war crimes committed in the city of El Fasher, officials announced on Friday.
Among those sanctioned is Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the RSF and younger brother of its leader, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti. He was previously sanctioned by the European Union in November.
Three other high-ranking RSF officers were also named: Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, the group’s commander in North Darfur; Brigadier-General Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris; and field commander Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed. All four are now subject to asset freezes and travel restrictions.
“Today’s sanctions against RSF commanders strike directly at those with blood on their hands,” Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement.
The UK accuses the commanders of being responsible for mass killings, widespread sexual violence, and intentional attacks on civilians in and around El Fasher.
El Fasher had been the Sudanese army’s final major base in the Darfur region before it fell to the RSF in October, following an 18-month siege. Soon after the city was captured, health workers, humanitarian groups, and survivors reported large-scale massacres and serious abuses carried out by the paramilitary forces.
British officials said the RSF’s conduct “forms part of a calculated campaign to terrorise civilians and seize territory through fear and violence.”
Alongside the sanctions, the UK government announced a £21 million humanitarian aid package and urged all sides in Sudan’s conflict to end the fighting and ensure the protection of civilians.
However, London stopped short of sanctioning the United Arab Emirates, despite longstanding allegations that the country has provided backing to the RSF.
