The UK has imposed sanctions on six people, including a senior army commander, suspected of committing atrocities in Sudan's civil war or fuelling the conflict through the supply of mercenaries and military equipment.
The measures targeted senior commanders in the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
"Effective immediately, the UK has imposed a new set of sanctions against six individuals suspected of committing atrocities in the war in Sudan, or fuelling the conflict through the supply of mercenaries and military equipment," the UK government said in a statement.
The measures were announced by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper following her visit to Chad's border with Sudan, where she met refugees who fled the violence, including women and girls who suffered physical assaults at the hands of warring factions.
The UK designations include Hussein Barsham, an RSF field commander, and Abu Aqla Mohamed Kaikal, an army commander and leader of the Sudan Shield Forces. They are both accused of responsibility for atrocities committed in early 2025 in Al Jazira state.
The EU last year imposed restrictive measures on Mr Kaikal, who had defected to the RSF and then rejoined the army in 2024. He was governor of Al Jazira after the RSF’s takeover. During his time as the head of the Sudan Shield Forces, he is deemed to have been responsible for targeting the Kanabi, a historically marginalised group comprised mainly of Nuba and other African tribes, the EU said.
The UK sanctions list also includes Mustafa Ibrahim Abdel Nabi Mohamed, director Al Khaleej Bank, which is also under British sanctions. He is suspected of helping the illicit financing of the RSF’s military campaign.
Sanctions have been imposed on Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, who is accused of involvement in recruiting former Colombian military personnel to train and fight for the RSF. The list also includes Mateo Andres Duque Botero and Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, who are both accused of playing roles in the recruitment of former Colombian soldiers to support the RSF.
According to the statement, soldiers of both parties are "suspected of carrying out massacres against the civilian population and using rape as a weapon of war, as well as a number of individuals suspected of recruiting foreign fighters to take part in the conflict, or facilitating the purchase of military equipment".
"We need to ensure that there is a price to pay for the military commanders who have allowed these atrocities to take place, and the callous profiteers who have fuelled this conflict with the supply of mercenaries and weaponry," Ms Cooper said.
"Through these sanctions, we will seek to dismantle the war machine of those who perpetrate or profit from the brutal violence in Sudan, and we will send a message to every individual responsible for commanding these armies and committing these atrocities that they will one day be held to account."
The war started in April 2023 when tension between Gen Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo over the future of the armed forces and the paramilitary group in a democratic Sudan erupted into fighting. The conflict quickly engulfed the capital Khartoum before spreading across most of the vast Afro-Arab nation.
After three years, tens of thousands have been killed, more than 12 million displaced and the country is suffering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with nearly half the population – 25 million – facing hunger.
The international community has imposed sanctions on senior Sudanese military and paramilitary officials, accusing them of war crimes, atrocities and actions that have further destabilised the country.
The US imposed sanctions on Gen Al Burhan in January 2025. The US Treasury Department accused him of "destabilising Sudan and undermining the goal of a democratic transition".
Washington had previously called on the army-backed government in Sudan to acknowledge its use of chemical weapons throughout the conflict and to co-operate with international actors and watchdogs. In May, the US announced it would impose sanctions after determining the army-backed government used chemical weapons in 2024.
