David Lammy ‘Could Have Prevented Genocidal Massacre in Sudan’

The UK could have stopped a genocidal massacre in Sudan’s El Fasher but failed to act over concerns it would anger the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a top war crimes expert has told Parliament. 

Human rights investigator Nathaniel Raymond said he provided the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) with intelligence for more than two years warning that the fall of El Fasher would unleash “one of the single largest mass casualty events of the 21st century”.

With his warnings ignored, more than 60,000 people were killed when the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stormed the Northern Darfur state capital last October. The UN has since said the massacre showed “hallmarks of genocide”.

Addressing parliament’s International Development Committee on Tuesday, Raymond said his team from the Yale School of Public Health believed the UK was its “best hope” for stopping the siege. But his team’s warnings were ignored despite two dozen private meetings with the office of then-foreign secretary David Lammy.

He told MPs that Lammy’s officials prioritised the government’s “economic, security, and diplomatic relationships with the UAE” above “the genocidal slaughter of tens of thousands of civilians living in El Fasher and its surrounding communities”.

As the sole penholder for Sudan at the United Nations Security Council, the UK is responsible for driving international response to the conflict. 

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

“Direct sanctions against UAE officials, at minimum, could have been used to interdict the clandestine UAE pipeline of advanced weaponry flowing to the RSF,” he added.

A UN report published Tuesday found that the RSF is responsible for 87% of verified incidents of rape and sexual slavery in Sudan, including el-Fasher, since the outbreak of violence in 2023. 

“The tragedy of El Fasher shows that advanced technology and analysis can provide leaders essential decision support information, but satellite data and computing power cannot by itself generate either political will or moral courage,” said Raymond.