Britain has come under fire for rejecting vital funding that could have protected Sudanese civilians from mounting atrocities in the besieged city of El Fasher, The Guardian can reveal.
As the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensify their brutal campaign across Darfur, confidential documents show UK officials deliberately turned down a specific request for atrocity prevention funding earlier this year. This decision came despite clear warnings of escalating violence against civilians.
A Pattern of Abandonment
The rejected funding was part of a broader pattern of UK disengagement from Sudan's escalating humanitarian catastrophe. Since 2021, Britain has slashed its bilateral aid to Sudan by nearly 70%, falling from £224 million to just £72 million this year.
This dramatic reduction has left critical protection programmes severely underfunded at precisely the moment they're needed most. Local organisations working to document human rights abuses and protect vulnerable communities have been particularly hard hit.
El Fasher: A City Under Siege
The consequences of these funding decisions are being felt most acutely in El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under RSF control. Here, civilians face:
- Daily bombardment and shelling of residential areas
- Systematic targeting of healthcare facilities and displacement camps
- Ethnic-based massacres reminiscent of the 2003-2005 genocide
- Complete collapse of basic services and humanitarian access
"We are witnessing a protection vacuum of catastrophic proportions," one aid worker told The Guardian anonymously for security reasons. "The international community, including the UK, has essentially abandoned civilians to their fate."
Political Paralysis Amid Humanitarian Catastrophe
Despite the Foreign Office acknowledging the RSF's campaign meets the definition of ethnic cleansing, political will to address the crisis appears lacking. Multiple sources describe a "paralysis" within government when it comes to Sudan policy.
The situation represents a stark departure from Britain's historical role as a leader in civilian protection and human rights advocacy. Critics argue the current approach undermines the UK's global standing and moral authority.
The Human Cost
Behind the funding figures and policy decisions lie devastating human stories:
- Over 150,000 people newly displaced from El Fasher in recent weeks
- Mass graves containing hundreds of victims discovered near the city
- Children dying from preventable diseases as healthcare collapses
- Women and girls facing systematic sexual violence as a weapon of war
"When the bombs fall and the RSF comes, we have nowhere to run and no one to protect us," said one displaced mother now sheltering in a makeshift camp. "The world has turned its back on Sudan."
As the violence escalates and humanitarian needs skyrocket, questions grow about whether Britain will reverse course or continue to watch from the sidelines as atrocities unfold.
