The British government opted against a more robust civilian protection strategy for Sudan despite internal warnings that the city of El Fasher risked falling to the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and facing mass atrocities, a report reviewed by The Guardian revealed.

Officials inside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) considered four potential responses to prevent large-scale violence during the 18-month siege of El Fasher. One of the proposals involved creating an international protection mechanism to shield civilians from ethnic cleansing, mass killings, and conflict-related sexual violence.

However, citing funding and staffing limitations, officials chose what was described as the “least ambitious” option, which involves redirecting £10 million in additional humanitarian support to organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross. The city later fell to the RSF, which has since been accused of ethnically motivated executions, rapes, and forced disappearances, as thousands of residents remain unaccounted for.

Decision had preventable consequences

Shayna Lewis, a Sudan analyst with the US-based organization Paema, told The Guardian that the UK’s choice reflected a lack of political will rather than a lack of awareness.

“Atrocities are not natural disasters – they are a political choice that are preventable if there is political will,” she said, calling the UK “complicit in the ongoing genocide of the people of Darfur.”

The Sudanese conflict has fueled what the UN calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with sexual violence particularly widespread in areas seized by the RSF.

Oversight review links weak response to budget pressure

The decision was highlighted in an independent review by the UK’s aid spending watchdog, which found that financial cuts had weakened Britain’s ability to push for atrocity prevention, especially programs focused on protecting women and girls.

A proposed initiative supporting Sudanese women is now delayed until at least 2026.

UK tries to defend itself

Sarah Champion, chair of the UK parliament’s international development committee, criticized the prioritization of cost savings over preventive action.

“Prevention and early intervention should be core to all FCDO work, but sadly they are often seen as a ‘nice to have’,” she said.

Meanwhile, British officials defend their record, pointing to more than £120 million in humanitarian support and the UK’s role as the UN Security Council “penholder” on Sudan. A recent UK statement at the UN vowed that RSF leaders would be held accountable for crimes committed during the conflict.

However, the review concluded that while the UK had demonstrated “credible leadership", its influence was ultimately “constrained by inconsistent political attention” during the period leading up to El Fasher’s fall.

London blocks criticism of UAE

Moreover, last year was marked by the United Kingdom blocking any criticism of the United Arab Emirates and its role in arming the RSF and backing their actions, which have been nothing short of massacring civilians in Sudan. 

The UAE constantly denied having anything to do with the conflict in Sudan, calling the allegations “baseless” in a letter to the Security Council, which their representative, Lana Nusseibeh, claims is a distraction from the country's humanitarian crisis.

The fighting in Sudan broke out in April 2023 between the regular army, headed by its leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.