UNITED NATIONS, Dec 19 — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a strong warning to countries supporting Sudan’s warring factions, urging them to stop fueling the conflict and profiting from the violence. Speaking to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, Blinken said, “Enough. Use your resources to ease Sudanese suffering, not deepen it. Use your influence to end the war, not perpetuate it.”
The war began in April 2023 as a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has led to the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis, with millions affected.
Independent U.N. experts have reported credible claims that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) provided military support to the RSF, which the UAE denies. Sudanese army sources told Reuters they had acquired Iranian-made drones, a claim the army has also denied.
Russia has faced accusations of playing a role in the conflict. In October, Reuters reported that a plane used by the Sudanese army in North Darfur had Russian crew members. Moscow’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia denied allegations of profiteering, asserting Russia’s commitment to Sudan’s sovereignty and criticizing what he called biased accusations.
UAE U.N. Ambassador Mohamed Issa Abushahab said his country is not involved in supporting the warring factions. “The UAE calls on the warring parties to cease hostilities and put the Sudanese people ahead of their military objectives,” he told the council.
The conflict has left nearly 25 million people, half of Sudan’s population, in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the U.N. Nearly 11 million have fled their homes, including 3 million who have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
Blinken announced $200 million in additional U.S. humanitarian aid for food, shelter, and healthcare in Sudan. He also stated that Washington would impose further sanctions and take other measures to prevent abuses and hold perpetrators accountable.
Senior U.N. official Edem Wosornu described a worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, marked by widespread violence, famine, and sexual abuse. “Fierce hostilities in populated areas escalating and spreading, with evident disregard for international humanitarian law,” Wosornu said. “This is a crisis of staggering scale and cruelty.”
The conflict has seen waves of ethnically driven violence, with widespread reports of sexual violence. A U.N. fact-finding mission reported in October that RSF troops and their allies have committed rampant abuses, including gang rapes and the abduction of women as sex slaves. Victims range from children as young as 8 to the elderly.
Shayna Lewis, a Sudan specialist with PAEMA (Preventing and Ending Mass Atrocities), shared the story of a woman from Darfur who was gang-raped in her family home. Her father was killed by RSF troops after attempting to intervene.
The RSF has previously pledged to investigate allegations of abuse but has provided little evidence of action.
