UK escalates sanctions on Sudan war figures and mercenary networks

The United Kingdom has expanded its sanctions regime against figures accused of fuelling Sudan’s civil war, imposing measures this week on six senior commanders and facilitators linked to atrocities and the recruitment of foreign fighters. These actions, announced by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office under the Sudan Regulations 2020, include asset freezes, travel bans and director disqualifications intended to disrupt financial and military support networks that sustain the conflict.

The designations target a mix of military and financial actors connected to both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Among those sanctioned are Abu Aqla Mohamed Kaikal, head of the Sudan Shield Forces and a senior SAF commander with a history of shifting allegiances from the RSF, and Hussein Barsham, an RSF field commander accused of overseeing mass atrocities and ethnic violence in Darfur.

Mustafa Ibrahim Abdel Nabi Mohamed, a financial adviser to the RSF and director of Alkhaleej Bank Co Ltd, was also listed for his role in enabling financial services that allegedly underwrite RSF military operations, notably in regions such as El Fasher. In a significant expansion of the sanctions regime, the UK government also designated three Colombian nationals—Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero and Mateo Andres Duque Botero—for their alleged roles in recruiting former Colombian military personnel to fight alongside the RSF, exposing the international reach of mercenary networks linked to the conflict.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper framed the sanctions as part of a broader strategy to “dismantle Sudan’s war machine,” stressing that those suspected of committing or facilitating severe violations of international law must face consequences. Cooper’s statement, issued as the UK holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for February, emphasised the humanitarian imperative behind mounting international pressure and the need for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered aid access.

Diplomats and analysts say the new sanctions dovetail with existing international measures, including earlier EU sanctions on some of the same individuals and US sanctions on other RSF leaders and networks. The UK’s expanded list reflects an evolving effort to pin responsibility on drivers of the conflict, extending beyond field commanders to those orchestrating recruitment and logistical support that bolster ongoing hostilities.

Sudan’s war, which began with a power struggle between the SAF and RSF in April 2023, has devolved into one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in the world, displacing millions and precipitating widespread famine and insecurity. Independent monitoring groups and humanitarian agencies have documented pervasive rights abuses, including targeted killings, forced displacement, and sexual violence used as a tactic of war. International human rights organisations have repeatedly called for accountability and protective measures for civilians trapped in conflict zones.

The UK government’s parliamentary record underscores the scale of the crisis and the rationale for punitive measures. Foreign Secretary Cooper described witnessing civilians’ suffering at a refugee camp in Adré on the Sudan–Chad border, where displaced families, predominantly women and children, recounted harrowing experiences of violence and loss. The UK has also committed significant humanitarian aid, including funding for medical and psychological support for survivors of sexual violence, while urging a coordinated international approach to end the conflict and facilitate a transition to civilian governance.

Experts caution that while sanctions can constrain some financial and logistical capacities of designated individuals and networks, they may have limited impact without complementary diplomatic and peace-building efforts. Previous sanctions against RSF commanders over atrocities, such as those linked to the El Fasher massacre in Darfur, did not halt the group’s strategic advances or stem large-scale civilian harm, illustrating the limitations of punitive diplomacy in isolation.

Nevertheless, the UK’s expanded sanctions may signal a recalibration of international strategy, prioritising accountability and pressure on key enablers of the war. Analysts suggest that targeting mercenary recruitment channels and financial facilitators could disrupt the conflict’s external support vectors, complicating efforts by armed groups to sustain prolonged combat operations.