Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has issued a stark warning to MPs, describing horrifying atrocities in Sudan so severe that their aftermath is visible from space.
Satellite Evidence of Atrocities
The UK's top diplomat detailed how satellite imagery of the Sudanese city of el-Fasher shows disturbing evidence of mass violence after the city fell to paramilitary forces. "Horrors so appalling that they can be seen from space," Cooper told the Commons.
The images reveal multiple clusters of objects consistent with piles of human bodies and discolouration of sand consistent with pools of blood. Evidence also points to the apparent burning of bodies and operations to dispose of remains in mass graves.
Cooper stated that el-Fasher is a crime scene, echoing assessments from UN OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs).
A Deepening Humanitarian Catastrophe
The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has created what the Foreign Secretary termed the "worst humanitarian crisis in the 21st Century".
The scale of suffering is immense:
- Over 30 million people require lifesaving aid.
- 12 million people have been displaced by the fighting.
- Famine is spreading across the region.
- Cholera and other preventable diseases are rampant.
In el-Fasher specifically, Cooper reported mass executions, starvation, and the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war following advances by the RSF.
UK Response and International Action
In response to these violations, Yvette Cooper has ordered officials to bring forward potential sanctions relating to human rights abuses in Sudan.
This builds on action taken by the previous government in April 2024, when it sanctioned businesses supporting the SAF or RSF and froze assets of companies linked to either side.
The UK is also urgently working to secure a three-month humanitarian ceasefire to allow critically needed aid to reach the war-torn region.
Cooper warned that without greater international action, further horrors are likely to unfold in Sudan.
