The UK on Monday imposed sanctions on 15 Sudanese military figures it said were involved in a campaign of sexual violence in the city of El-Fasher.
The commanders are from both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and are accused of committing atrocities against civilians.
Among those sanctioned are Hussein Abu Jalak, an RSF colonel thought to be involved in atrocities carried out during the capture of the city, and Al-Nour Ahmed Adam – known as "Al-Qubba" – who has been identified as playing a major role in the attack on the city.
The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans on the commanders.
The measures came a year after the fall of El-Fasher following an 18-month siege by the RSF.
The UN has estimated that at least 6,000 people were killed by the militia between 25 October and 27 October 2025.
In one instance, gunmen massacred at least 460 people in a hospital and took doctors and nurses hostage.
Human rights monitors have documented mass rape carried out by RSF fighters inside the city. Thousands of others are thought to have starved to death during the siege.
The announcement comes after a UK-funded investigation by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) revealed what the government called a "campaign of systematic starvation and conflict-related sexual violence" against civilians carried out by both sides of the war.
"One year later, further UK-supported CIR reporting this week has shown the brutal tactics used during the siege are still being deployed across Sudan," the Foreign Office said.
"Sexual violence is also rampant, with CIR reporting describing women and girls being abducted, repeatedly raped, and held in conditions amounting to sexual slavery," it added.
The government announced it would allocate £5 million to assist survivors of sexual violence in Sudan and another £10 million in additional humanitarian assistance.
"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," Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said.
"These are crimes against our humanity - the perpetrators must be held accountable, and support from all external backers to the warring parties must end."
The UAE has been accused of heavily backing the RSF's campaign against the army with money, weapons and foreign fighters.
The RSF is composed mainly of fighters from the Arab Janjaweed militia, which is accused of committing genocide in Darfur in the 2000s.
The group has been linked to a series of atrocities during the current war and was accused of perpetrating genocidal violence by the Biden administration in 2025.
