The United Kingdom has imposed asset freezes and travel bans on four senior commanders of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), citing their suspected involvement in mass killings and other grave abuses against civilians in the city of El Fasher. The move, however, notably excludes any direct action against the force’s principal international backer, the United Arab Emirates.
Those sanctioned 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 senior officers: Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed. British authorities indicated that evidence thresholds were met in part due to social media posts by some commanders that appeared to glorify violence.
In a statement, the UK Foreign Office accused the individuals of atrocities including mass executions, sexual violence, and deliberate attacks on non-combatants. While no official death toll exists for the RSF’s capture of El Fasher in late October, parliamentary briefings suggest at least 60,000 people may have been killed. The conflict, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF, has created what the United Nations calls the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis, with famine conditions now widespread in the Darfur region following an 18-month siege.
The UK simultaneously announced an additional £20 million in humanitarian aid for Sudan, bringing its total commitment this year to £146 million. The funding is intended to support food distribution, medical care, and emergency shelter for approximately 150,000 people.
Diplomatically, London has opted to apply pressure privately on the UAE and Hemedti, rather than through public sanctions, expressing a preference to use its leverage to seek a ceasefire. Officials acknowledged, however, that there is little immediate prospect of peace. Concerns are mounting that the war could spill over into neighbouring South Sudan and Eritrea, and that regional rivalries, particularly between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, risk further inflaming the conflict.
The sanctions align with similar measures enacted by the European Union last week. While welcomed by Sudanese diaspora groups, the move has also drawn criticism for not addressing the role of external supporters. Advocacy organizations argue that cutting off the RSF’s supply lines, which are alleged to flow through numerous international routes, is essential to ending the violence.
The UK government has signaled that further actions against the RSF are possible, potentially depending on the group’s next military moves. For now, the sanctions stand as a political condemnation, highlighting the international community’s struggle to curb a devastating war that continues to escalate with no end in sight.
