EU urged to intensify action on Sudan as conflict enters fourth year

Introduction

As Sudan's devastating conflict stretches beyond three years, international pressure is mounting for rapid action to stem civilian suffering. With more than 150,000 people reportedly dead and millions displaced, calls from a UN official, a human rights watchdog, and a horrified ambassador are converging on the need for a ceasefire and accountability.

The EU’s Call to Action

Amnesty International has written an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging a redoubling of effort to protect civilians across Sudan. The letter, signed by the organisation's senior officials, describes the conflict as “a war against civilians” and outlines a set of demands: an immediate ceasefire, a halt to the influx of weapons, support for an independent and well-resourced international protection force, and full backing for existing justice and accountability mechanisms.

Amnesty’s newly released report, "City Under Siege, Children Under Fire: Rapid Support Forces’ Crimes Against Humanity in North Darfur," documents the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) takeover of North Darfur after El Fasher, the last major co-urban stronghold in the region, fell to them. According to the report, the siege was sustained by a steady flow of weapons from foreign backers, notably the United Arab Emirates.

The organisation documented, between mid-2024 and late 2025, war crimes that amount to crimes against humanity, including murder, forcible transfer, imprisonment, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enslavement, and extermination. The report also found the RSF used dehumanising language against non-Arab ethnic groups, constituting persecution on ethnic grounds. Between December 2024 and March 2025, the organisation carried out a report, villages in the Abu Zerega area, predominantly Zaghawa, were destroyed on a scale consistent with ethnic cleansing.

The letter also flags the RSF’s continued sieges and drone struck on civilian infrastructure in El Obaid, North syn. Without urgent international action, the letter warns, people of El Obaid could face similar horrors.

Saudi Condemnation of RSF Attacks

In New York, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, used a Security Council meeting on Monday to condemn recent RSF attacks on civilians, calling them “heinous acts” that “can be justified under any circumstance.” The UN and civil society reports also highlight continued violations with held in the RSF areas, including killing of dozens of civilians, including children, and destruction of relief—the RSF attacks were “criminal attacks” against unarmed Sudanese civilians.

Alwasil underscored the need for all parties to honour their “moral and humanitarian duties” under international law, and called for aid access to be based on the May 2023 Jeddah Declaration and UN Security Council resolutions, which he said are binding and unequivocal. He praised the sustained effort of Saudi Arabia in the conflict, including the recent negotiations in Jeddah and cooperation with the US, and welcomed the decision to keep the Adre crossing open. He also gave credit to the African Union, the League of Arab States, and UN Special Envoy Ramtane Lamamra.

UK Pressure on the Gulf

In a separate appeal, Sudan’s ambassador to the UK, Babiker El-Siddiq, called on Britain to rein in the UAE, which he accused of been helping fuel the civil war. In an interview with Sky News, Ambassador Al-Amin explained: “We have much in common, and expect them [Britain] to help us in ending this war. This war cannot be ended without preventing the militia from being armed, and an being provided with the capability of committing atrocities and threatening the lives and the wellbeing of our people.”

The ambassador said the Gulf state supported the RSF militia, a force that has been accused of widespread atrocities, including ethnic violence, mass killings, and war crimes in Darfur. The due to previous allegations have included the supply of the RSF with Chinese-made drones, Serbian-made vacuum bombs, and aeroplane armoured vehicles, though the UAE has denied any involvement.

Sudan’s ambassador also noted the Sudanese military, backed by Egypt, Iran, and Russia, has been alleged to have carried out indiscriminate aerial strikes and obstructed humanitarian aid, adding a second dimension to the conflict’s humanitarian crisis.

S. and UK Unity on Humanitarian Truce

At the Security Council, the UK’s ambassador Sarah Macintosh, voiced support for the work of American, Egyptian, Saudi, and UAE partners under a humanitarian truce, and the UK has provided £147 million in aid for the year to assist over 8 million people, according to a report referenced in the Mirror. The crossing and implementation of the truce may be critical for furthering humanitarian support to reach those in need.

On the Ground

The conflict emerged in April 2023, after a power struggle over integrating the RSF into the national army. With millions displaced and entire ethnic communities under military pressure, the call for a ceasefire and the flow of weapons remains urgent. Diplomatic channels, the UN Security Council, and the state-driven pressure from the EU may decide the next chapter for Sudan.