The United Kingdom has imposed asset freezes and travel bans on four senior commanders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), citing their alleged involvement in mass killings and brutal violence against civilians in the city of El Fasher. The move signals international condemnation but has drawn criticism for not extending to the paramilitary group’s principal backer.
The sanctioned individuals include Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy leader of the RSF and brother of its overall commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. Also targeted are three other field commanders accused of atrocities. British authorities stated that evidence threshold for sanctions was met, in part, by social media posts in which some commanders appeared to glorify the violence.
This action follows similar measures by the European Union last week. However, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), widely identified by UN experts and independent reports as a key military and diplomatic supporter of the RSF, was not included in the latest sanctions. The UK government indicated a preference for private diplomatic engagement with Emirati officials and with Hemedti himself, despite acknowledging little progress toward a ceasefire in the nearly three-year civil war.
The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF, has created what the United Nations calls the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis. The situation in Darfur is particularly dire, with communities facing famine following an 18-month RSF siege of El Fasher, which fell to the group in late October. While no official death toll exists for the city’s capture, briefings to British lawmakers suggest at least 60,000 people may have been killed.
In a statement, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the atrocities as scarring “the conscience of the world,” citing evidence of mass executions, starvation, and the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war. Alongside the sanctions, the UK announced an additional £20 million in aid, bringing its total commitment for Sudan this year to £146 million. The funds are intended to support food, medical care, and emergency shelter for civilians.
The decision has received a mixed response. Diaspora groups from Darfur, many of whose members have lost family in the conflict, welcomed the sanctions as a step toward justice but expressed profound disappointment over the UAE’s exclusion. They argue that ending the violence requires cutting off all supply lines fueling the RSF, including those allegedly facilitated by external sponsors.
Diplomatic concerns are also mounting that the war could spill into neighboring South Sudan and Eritrea. Further complicating the regional landscape are rivalries between Middle Eastern powers, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia supporting opposing factions not only in Sudan but also in southern Yemen.
The UK government hinted that further action against the RSF is possible, potentially depending on the group’s next military moves. For now, the sanctions stand as a stark, though limited, diplomatic rebuke in a conflict that continues to spiral with no end in sight.
