Britain has joined the United States government in imposing sanctions on the warring parties in Sudan.

The sanction imposed an asset freeze on six businesses linked to the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces over the increasingly violent conflict in the country.

Andrew Mitchell, a British government minister, said that the Sudanese army and rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had driven their country into an unnecessary war.

The effect of the penalty is that no UK citizen, bank, or corporation will be allowed to conduct businesses with the six sanctioned companies, according to the Foreign Office.

UK authorities believe that the time is ripe to convey a stronger message to the warring sides with reports of ethnic massacres in Darfur as the conflict spread beyond Khartoum.

Last week, UN Secretary General António Guterres said Sudan was on the verge of civil war after an attack on a residential area killed two dozen civilians.

The Human Rights Watch earlier raised concerns while at the same time calling on the International Criminal Court to probe the execution of 28 non Arab tribesmen by the Rapid Support Forces and Allies Arab militias.

The warring factions have been involved in a bloody fight for power since April.

Approximately 3 million people have been internally and externally displaced since the fighting started in Sudan, according to the United Nations.

The country’s federal health ministry also said at least 1,133 people have been killed in the conflict, which has erupted in the capital as well as other main cities.

BBC