The United States has intensified calls for worldwide action to halt the supply of weapons to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), following reports of mass killings and sexual violence in el-Fasher.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking after a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada, described the attacks on civilians as systematic and targeted, highlighting the urgent need for international intervention.
Rubio said the RSF has been waging a brutal campaign against civilians since clashes erupted between their leaders and Sudan’s army in April 2023, escalating into a full-scale civil war.
"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," he said.
Sudan’s army has accused the United Arab Emirates of providing the RSF with weapons and mercenaries via African countries, an allegation both the UAE and the RSF reject.
Despite evidence presented in media and UN investigations suggesting the Gulf state’s involvement, Rubio did not directly single out Abu Dhabi during the meeting, emphasizing collaboration through the Quad—a coalition including the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia—to resolve the conflict.
El-Fasher fell to RSF forces last month after an 18-month siege, granting them control over key urban centers across Darfur. Satellite images reveal blood-stained streets and piles of bodies, a grim sign of the violence.
Only a fraction of residents have managed to escape, while humanitarian groups and the US warn that non-Arab populations are facing targeted attacks amounting to genocide.
In a statement, the RSF rejected all allegations of wrongdoing and accused the army of blocking ceasefire agreements.
"The party that has rejected all ceasefire initiatives and refused to engage in them is the army affiliated with the terrorist Islamic Movement," the RSF said. "Our forces responded in good faith officially announcing their approval. Yet to this day we have not received any reply from the US side. So, where is the other party and where is its response?"
Rubio emphasized that the RSF depends entirely on outside support for its weapons and called on countries supplying arms to stop immediately. He also warned that thousands of people expected to flee el-Fasher may have perished or are too malnourished to leave.
The G7 joint statement condemned the escalating conflict, describing it as "the world’s largest humanitarian crisis." Over 150,000 people have died, and about 12 million have been displaced.
Investigations indicate weapons originating from countries including Serbia, Russia, China, Turkey, Yemen, and the UAE are being used in Sudan, often transported through the UAE into Chad and then into Darfur.
Rubio also noted that other actors, potentially including Iran, may be supplying the Sudanese army, though all parties deny the allegations. Despite a UN arms embargo on Darfur since 2004, weapons continue to fuel the fighting, deepening one of the deadliest crises in Sudan’s modern history.
