Britain sanctions Sudanese commanders over rape during El Fasher siege
The UK has imposed travel bans and asset freezes on military leaders from both sides of Sudan's war who are suspected of sexual violence during the siege of El Fasher, on the first anniversary of the city's fall.
Senior Sudanese commanders suspected of involvement in a “campaign of rape” have been targeted by the United Kingdom with travel bans and asset freezes, marking the first anniversary of a mass atrocity that saw tens of thousands of civilians killed over several days in El Fasher.
A year after the fall of the city, the British government said it had sanctioned military leaders from both sides of the country’s ongoing conflict. Those named are suspected of sexual violence committed during the siege, which the source material describes as the largest and fastest slaughter of civilians in more than 30 years.
The sanctions are the UK’s response to atrocities committed as the war between Sudan’s armed forces and the paramilitary groups fighting them continued to devastate the country. By targeting commanders from both sides, the government signalled that responsibility for sexual violence during the conflict is not confined to one party.
The measures apply to individuals rather than to the armed groups as organisations. A travel ban prevents the designated people from entering or transiting through the UK, while an asset freeze blocks any funds or economic resources they hold in British jurisdiction from being accessed or used.
The timing, on the anniversary of El Fasher’s fall, underlines the persistence of the abuses documented during the siege. The sanctions do not, on their own, bring the perpetrators before a court, but they add to international pressure on the commanders accused of ordering or tolerating sexual violence against civilians.
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