UK Sanctions 15 Sudanese Commanders a Year After El Fasher’s Fall

WarBrief Live | October 27, 2026 | Sanctions

On October 26, 2026, the United Kingdom sanctioned 15 senior Sudanese commanders, militia leaders and security officials from both sides of Sudan’s civil war, one year after the fall of El Fasher. The measures impose travel bans and asset freezes over suspected atrocities, including conflict-related sexual violence, during the siege and fall of the North Darfur capital, with new survivor and humanitarian funding.

Target overview: the war, the siege, and the fall of El Fasher

Sudan’s war began in April 2023 between the RSF and the SAF. El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, fell to the RSF after an 18-month siege that, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), starved hundreds of thousands of civilians. In the days that followed, the FCDO said, civilians were massacred, women and girls were subjected to sexual violence, and entire communities were devastated. Amnesty International reports tens of thousands killed and 14 million displaced since the war began. A designation is a restrictive measure based on suspicion, not a conviction.

Measures in place: what a UK travel ban and asset freeze do

A designated person is refused entry to the UK, and funds and economic resources they own or control in the UK are frozen. UK persons and businesses are generally prohibited from making funds available to a designated person. The authoritative record is the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) consolidated list, which compliance teams should check directly. The FCDO said this follows five previous UK Sudan sanctions rounds. Educational content only, not legal advice.

Recent actions: the October 26, 2026 designations, dated and sourced

The FCDO published the package on October 26, 2026. Hussein Abu Jalak, an RSF colonel, was linked by the FCDO to atrocities during the siege of El Fasher. Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, known as “al-Qubba”, was identified by the FCDO as present and playing a prominent role in besieging and attacking the city. This entry names only those two, because they are the two the UK government itself identified; it does not invent the identities of the remaining 13, whose details belong on the official OFSI list.

The announcement followed new UK-funded reporting by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), which the FCDO said revealed systematic starvation and conflict-related sexual violence by both sides, including RSF fighters discussing shutting off El Fasher’s water and blocking food traders.

“The war in Sudan has created a humanitarian catastrophe. A year on from the atrocities in El Fasher, UK-funded investigations have shown that rape and starvation are still being weaponised against the people of Sudan.”

That is Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, quoted in the FCDO release, who added that perpetrators “must be held accountable” and that support from external backers to the warring parties “must end”. The FCDO said the aim is that “the horrors that took place at El Fasher will be known to the world”.

Impact: survivor funding, famine risk, and the limits of sanctions

The 5 million pounds for survivors covers services including sexual and reproductive healthcare, maternal health, psychosocial support and safe spaces for women and girls. The 10 million pound humanitarian package responds to attacks on markets, health facilities and camps, aid obstruction and El Nino-induced drought, and will improve water and sanitation around Tawila and support services in El Obeid. Sanctions alone do not end a war: their direct effects are UK travel and asset restrictions, plus the signal of naming commanders on both sides. Amnesty International UK welcomed the package while calling for a halt to arms transfers to the United Arab Emirates, which Amnesty says is arming the RSF; that is Amnesty’s position, not the FCDO’s. See also our Sudan drone-war profile, Sanctions Tracker, the EU ICC-shield entry and the Graham Act waiver entry.

What to watch next in the Sudan sanctions file

Watch the OFSI list for full entries, whether other jurisdictions follow, and whether funding reaches El Obeid and Tawila. The FCDO warned both sides must stop attacking aid convoys and let food reach communities. WarBrief will update this entry if OFSI adds further Sudan listings, if another government mirrors the package, or if London announces a further survivor-funding tranche. See also WarBrief’s Conflict Zones hub.

Frequently asked questions

What did the UK announce on October 26, 2026?
The UK sanctioned 15 commanders from both sides, imposing travel bans and asset freezes over suspected El Fasher atrocities, and pledged 5 million pounds for survivors and 10 million pounds in aid.

Who were the two commanders the UK publicly named?
Hussein Abu Jalak, an RSF colonel linked to siege atrocities, and Al-Nour Ahmed Adam (“al-Qubba”), identified as prominent in besieging and attacking the city. Verify the other 13 on the OFSI list.

What does a UK travel ban and asset freeze actually do?
UK entry is refused and UK-held funds are frozen; UK persons and businesses are generally barred from making funds available to them. It is not a conviction.

Why is the package tied to El Fasher, one year on?
El Fasher fell to the RSF after an 18-month siege that starved hundreds of thousands, according to the FCDO, which framed the package as marking that anniversary.

Sources

• FCDO (via ReliefWeb): UK sanctions senior commanders implicated in campaign of rape in Sudan
• Al Jazeera / Reuters: Britain sanctions Sudanese commanders over weaponised rape
• Amnesty International UK: Sudan – UK must stop arming UAE
• Madar: UK sanctions 15 Sudanese commanders a year after El Fasher’s fall