UK Rejected Atrocity Prevention Plan as EU Warns Sudan’s El-Fasher Has Become a ‘Graveyard of Humanity’

UK Rejected Atrocity Prevention Plan as EU Warns Sudan’s El-Fasher Has Become a ‘Graveyard of Humanity’
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Britain rejected stronger atrocity-prevention measures for Sudan despite intelligence warnings that the city of El-Fasher would fall to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), triggering mass killings and sexual violence, according to internal government documents seen by The Guardian.

Officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) opted for the “least ambitious” of four proposed plans to protect civilians, citing aid cuts and staffing shortages. The chosen plan provided just £10 million in additional funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross and other organizations. More comprehensive options, including an international civilian protection mechanism, were dismissed due to “resource constraints.”

The decision came months before the RSF captured El-Fasher in October, carrying out ethnically targeted massacres and rapes that have left thousands missing. Rights experts say the UK’s limited action contributed to preventable atrocities, undermining its role as UN Security Council penholder on Sudan.

Meanwhile, the European Union on Friday warned that El-Fasher “has become a graveyard of humanity.” EU Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova condemned the “indiscriminate killings and starvation tactics,” urging all parties to ensure immediate humanitarian access and to resume peace talks.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and RSF, ongoing since April 2023, has killed thousands and displaced millions, creating what the UN calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Despite Britain pledging over £120 million in aid, analysts and MPs say inconsistent political attention and severe funding cuts have crippled efforts to prevent genocide and protect civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region.