UK’s Inaction in El-Fasher: Alleged UAE Influence Over Atrocity Prevention

In October 2025 the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized El-Fasher in North Darfur, killing at least 60,000 civilians, according to Yale-based Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL). The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemedti”) and deputy Abdul Rahim Dagalo, has carried out mass killings since the 2023 el-Geneina massacre. The UAE is alleged to supply the RSF with weapons and mercenaries via Abu Dhabi shell companies. As the UN Security Council’s penholder on Sudan, the UK could have shaped a stronger response but, HRL director Nathaniel Raymond says, delayed action because of “significant private pressure” from the UAE.

Middle East Eye

• May–June 2024 – Raymond presented phone-metadata linking RSF to Ethiopia, Somalia and UAE sites; UNSC adopted Resolution 2736, which the UK backed without sanctions on foreign backers.

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• 26 Sept 2025 – British UN official voiced “despair” over UK inaction as El-Fasher fell.

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• Oct 2025 – RSF seized El-Fasher; HRL estimated civilian deaths at >= 60,000.

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HRL’s estimate excludes famine-related deaths, implying a higher toll. Phone-metadata traced a handset from Addis Ababa to Abu Dhabi in four hours, indicating covert logistics. Satellite imagery showed a 31 km earth berm encircling El-Fasher, creating a “kill box.” The nearby Zamzam IDP camp housed over 500,000 people in famine. Ethiopia and the UAE deny arming the RSF.

The Guardian

The FCDO declined comment. The UK said Resolution 2736 was its maximum commitment and that “there should be no expectation of specific unilateral or multilateral consequences for violations of UNSCR 2736.” No UAE sanctions were announced.

Middle East Eye

Raymond told MPs the FCDO treated the civilian-death estimate as a “political problem” and prioritized “economic, security and diplomatic relationships with the UAE” over preventing starvation, displacement and genocide. He called the massacre “the most accurately predicted mass atrocity in human history.”

Middle East Eye

• “I explained the math. I stated that, in reality, the number of people that the RSF systematically killed after capturing the city could have been higher,” — Nathaniel Raymond, HRL Director

The Guardian

• “They told me that the UK was facing significant private pressure behind the scenes from the UAE limiting its ability to affect the situation,” — Nathaniel Raymond

Middle East Eye

• “expressed despair about the lack of any possible action by the Starmer government as the city was about to fall” — British UN official

The Guardian

• “Around that time, HRL was told by a source with direct knowledge of RSF’s internal operations that Abu Dhabi had directed Hemedti to pause the attack on el-Fasher so that the UAE could assess whether there would be any serious political consequences from the resolution’s passage,” Raymond said, referring to Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF leader commonly called Hemedti.” — Nathaniel Raymond

Middle East Eye

Raymond urges sanctions on UAE officials and a public boycott of UAE-linked commerce. He warns that similar dynamics threaten el-Obeid in Kordofan and that UN inquiries into the UK’s alleged inaction are expected.

Middle East Eye