The United States has called for urgent international action to halt the flow of weapons to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), following reports of mass killings, rape, and other atrocities in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking after a G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Canada, condemned the RSF’s actions, describing them as “systematic atrocities” that target civilians, including women and children.
Rubio said, “They’re committing acts of sexual violence and atrocities, just horrifying atrocities, against women, children, innocent civilians of the most horrific kind. And it needs to end immediately. And we’re going to do everything we can to bring it to an end, and we’ve encouraged partner nations to join us in this fight.”
The RSF captured el-Fasher last month after an 18-month siege, gaining control of all major cities in Darfur. Satellite images and witness reports show signs of mass killings, with piles of bodies and blood-stained earth visible from space.
Non-Arab communities across Darfur are reportedly being systematically targeted in what the US and humanitarian groups describe as genocide. Thousands of civilians are feared dead or missing, while millions have been displaced as the conflict intensifies.
Sudan’s army has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supplying arms and mercenaries to the RSF through African intermediaries allegations the UAE has repeatedly denied.
While Rubio did not directly call out Abu Dhabi, he hinted at foreign involvement in arming the RSF. “We know who the parties are that are involved [in weapons supply]… That’s why they’re part of the Quad along with other countries involved,” he said.
He further stated that assistance to the RSF “isn’t just coming from some country that’s paying for it, it’s also coming from countries that are allowing their territory to be used to ship it and transport it.”
The Trump administration, in collaboration with the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia collectively known as the “Quad” has been working toward a peaceful resolution in Sudan. The group previously proposed a three-month humanitarian truce, followed by a transition to civilian rule, but the RSF only agreed to the ceasefire after taking control of el-Fasher.
Despite multiple peace initiatives, fighting has continued, and previous US-backed humanitarian ceasefires have been repeatedly violated.
Amnesty International and UN experts have traced weapons used in Sudan to manufacturers in Serbia, Russia, China, Turkey, Yemen, and the UAE, with smuggling routes often passing through the UAE and Chad into Darfur.
Rubio emphasized the need for a coordinated global response to block the RSF’s access to arms, stating that the group’s dependence on foreign-supplied weapons made international cooperation critical to ending the conflict.
Meanwhile, the G7 joint statement issued after the meeting condemned the escalating violence, warning that the war in Sudan has triggered “the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.”
To date, more than 150,000 people have been killed, and about 12 million displaced, as the two-year civil war between the Sudanese army and RSF continues to devastate the country.
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