LONDON: The UK sanctioned six individuals suspected of fueling the civil war in Sudan through the supply of mercenaries and military equipment or of committing atrocities in the conflict, the government announced on Thursday.
The measures targeted senior commanders in both the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces, the government said.
The conflict between the two forces has displaced millions, drawn in regional powers and caused a vast humanitarian crisis since it started in April 2023.
“We urgently need a ceasefire, and safe access for humanitarian relief agencies to reach all those in need,” British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who visited the Sudan-Chad border this week, said in the statement.
“Through these sanctions, we will seek to dismantle the war machine of those who perpetrate or profit from the brutal violence in Sudan,” Cooper added.
“We also 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.”
During her visit, Cooper met refugees who have fled the violence, including women and girls who have been the victims of sexual assault and rape at the hands of the warring parties.
“I met women and children who have suffered unimaginable violence, and barely escaped with their lives. For their sake, and the millions of other civilians caught in the middle of this conflict, we urgently need a ceasefire,” the foreign secretary said.
The UK’s government also sanctioned three individuals — Alvaro Andres Quijano, Mateo Andres Duque Botero, and Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero — suspected of recruiting foreign fighters for the conflict or facilitating the purchase of military equipment
Other individuals who were sanctioned include Abu Aqla Mohamed Kaikal, a former RSF Commander and current head of the Sudan Shied Forces, RSF Field Commander Hussein Barsham, and RSF Financial Adviser Mustafa Ibrahim Abdel Nabi Mohamed.
