UK sanctions senior RSF commanders over El Fasher atrocities
December 12, 2025 (LONDON) – The United Kingdom on Friday imposed sanctions on four senior commanders of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), including its deputy leader, for their alleged role in “heinous” atrocities committed in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) announced asset freezes and travel bans against the individuals, citing evidence of mass killings, systematic sexual violence, and deliberate attacks on civilians.
The sanctioned individuals include Abdel Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF Deputy Leader and brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemetti”. The UK accused him of implication in ethnically targeted executions, gang rape, and attacks on humanitarian workers.
The list also includes Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, the RSF Commander for North Darfur; Brigadier General Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris; and Field Commander Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed. All are suspected of directing or overseeing the deliberate targeting of civilians and medical personnel in the region.
“The atrocities taking place in Sudan are so horrific they scar the conscience of the world,” said UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. “Today’s sanctions against RSF commanders strike directly at those with blood on their hands.”
Cooper highlighted overwhelming evidence of “mass executions, starvation, and the systematic and calculated use of rape as a weapon of war.”
The FCDO stated that the RSF’s actions in El Fasher were part of a deliberate strategy to terrorise the population. The statement noted that satellite imagery of the area revealed “blood-stained sand, clusters of bodies, and evidence of mass graves.”
In addition to the punitive measures, the UK announced a further £21 million aid package to provide food, clean water, and protection for women and children in the hardest-hit areas. This brings the UK’s total aid commitment to Sudan this year to £146 million.
“The UK will not look away, and we will always stand with the people of Sudan,” Cooper added, urging all parties to allow unhindered humanitarian access.
The sanctions follow a UK-led resolution at the UN Human Rights Council last month, which mandated an urgent inquiry into the violence in El Fasher.