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British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Tuesday that she intends to impose sanctions over human rights violations and abuses in war-torn Sudan, stressing the need for intensified efforts to secure a ceasefire.
Cooper told lawmakers in Parliament, amid global efforts to end the war in Sudan, “I have instructed my officials to draw up potential sanctions related to human rights violations in Sudan.”
Cooper said that the international community had “abandoned Sudan for far too long.”
Sudan has been witnessing a power struggle since 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF’s recent takeover of el-Fasher, one of the country’s largest cities, has raised fears of mass killings.
In recent months, both sides have relied on drone-based operations.
She added, “We may need to ensure that investigative teams can access these atrocities and prosecute the perpetrators.”
Over the past year, Britain has imposed sanctions on three entities—Bank of Khartoum, AlfaKer Advanced Works, and Red Rock Mining—accusing them of financing military actors behind Sudan’s conflict.
She added, “El-Fasher is a crime scene, where satellite images show a change in the color of the sand consistent with pools of blood, clear evidence of bodies being burned, and the disposal of remains in mass graves.”
In a separate context, the British foreign secretary said that “Palestine must be governed by Palestinians,” adding that the cease-fire in Gaza “remains extremely fragile, and we have a long way to go before reaching peace.”
She stressed that the transitional arrangements outlined in the U.N. Security Council resolution on Gaza “should reinforce the unity of Gaza and the West Bank” and “enable Palestinian institutions to resume governance in Gaza.”
She emphasized the need to deploy an international and well-trained stabilization force. Palestinian police can be deployed quickly to support the cease-fire and prevent any vacuum that Hamas could exploit.
"We also need to establish an urgent Palestinian committee alongside a peace council," Cooper continued.
She added, “As we made clear at the United Nations last night, these transitional arrangements must be implemented in accordance with international law, with respect for Palestinian sovereignty and the right to self-determination. These arrangements should strengthen the unity of Gaza and the West Bank and enable reformed Palestinian institutions to resume governance in Gaza, because Palestine must be governed by Palestinians.”
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