Britain sanctioned six individuals suspected of committing atrocities in Sudan's war or of fuelling the conflict through the supply of mercenaries and military equipment, the government said on Thursday.

The measures targeted senior commanders in both the Sudanese paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the Sudanese Armed Forces, the government said.

The conflict between the two forces has displaced millions, drawn in regional powers and caused a vast humanitarian crisis since it broke out in April 2023.

"We urgently need a ceasefire, and safe access for humanitarian relief agencies to reach all those in need," British foreign minister Yvette Cooper, who visited the Sudan-Chad border this week, said in the statement.

"Through these sanctions, we will seek to dismantle the war machine of those who perpetrate or profit from the brutal violence in Sudan," Cooper added.

The British government also sanctioned three individuals - Alvaro Andres Quijano, Mateo Andres Duque Botero, and Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero - suspected of recruiting foreign fighters for the conflict or facilitating the purchase of military equipment

Others sanctioned include Abu Aqla Mohamed Kaikal, a former RSF Commander and current head of the Sudan Shied Forces, RSF Field Commander Hussein Barsham, and RSF Financial Advisor Mustafa Ibrahim Abdel Nabi Mohamed.