The measures, which took effect immediately, were unveiled following a visit by UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to the Sudan–Chad border, where she met civilians who fled violence linked to the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
At the Adre border crossing, Cooper met women and children displaced by the fighting, describing the situation as one of the gravest humanitarian crises of the 21st century, a classification echoed by the World Health Organization.
“At the Sudan–Chad border this week, I met women and children who have suffered unimaginable violence and barely escaped with their lives,” Cooper said.
“For their sake, and the millions of other civilians caught in the middle of this conflict, we urgently need a ceasefire and safe access for humanitarian relief agencies to reach all those in need.”
The sanctions target six individuals accused of either directing violence or facilitating the conflict’s continuation through financial and logistical support.
Among them is Hussein Barsham, an RSF field commander alleged to have overseen mass atrocities, including ethnic violence and attacks on civilians in Darfur.
Also sanctioned is Abu Aqla Mohamed Kaikal, a SAF commander and leader of the Sudan Shield Forces, accused of involvement in atrocities in Gezira State in early 2025.
The UK has further targeted the financial backbone of the RSF by sanctioning Mustafa Ibrahim Abdel Nabi Mohamed, director of al-Khaleej Bank and a financial adviser to RSF leadership, whom British authorities suspect of facilitating illicit funding for the group’s military operations.
In a move highlighting the international dimension of the conflict, three foreign nationals, Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, Mateo Andres Duque Botero, and Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, were sanctioned for recruiting former Colombian military personnel to fight as mercenaries for the RSF.
“We need to ensure 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,” Cooper said.
“Through these sanctions, we will seek to dismantle the war machine of those who perpetrate or profit from the brutal violence.”
Sudan’s conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has intensified into a humanitarian catastrophe. United Nations and World Health Organization figures indicate that by early 2026, at least 9.3 million people are internally displaced, more than 4.3 million have fled to neighbouring countries, and over 21 million face acute food insecurity.
An estimated 33.7 million people, roughly two-thirds of the population, now require humanitarian assistance.
The UK government said it has committed £146 million during the current financial year to support relief operations, including a recently announced £21 million package for food and medical aid.
With Britain assuming the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council in February, London has signalled that Sudan will be a top diplomatic priority, with renewed pressure for a ceasefire and the removal of what it described as deliberate barriers to humanitarian access.
“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,” Cooper said.