FCDO imposes sanctions on six individuals fuelling Sudan conflict
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has imposed immediate sanctions on six individuals on 5 February 2026. The measures were announced by the Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, following her visit to the Sudan–Chad border. The sanctions target senior commanders of the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as individuals accused of financing the conflict, procuring weapons and recruiting foreign mercenaries, in response to their alleged roles in fuelling the war in Sudan and enabling serious abuses against civilians. The FCDO stated that the measures aim to increase pressure on those responsible for massacres, sexual violence, forced displacement and other atrocities, particularly in Darfur and Gezira states, and to disrupt the financial and logistical networks sustaining the conflict. The sanctions form part of a wider UK strategy combining enforcement, humanitarian assistance and diplomacy. Under this approach, the UK has committed £146m in aid during the current financial year, is calling for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access, and will prioritise Sudan during its February 2026 presidency of the UN Security Council while co-hosting an international conference in April 2026 to strengthen coordinated international efforts to end the conflict and promote accountability.