Sudan: Guterres calls for accountability from countries arming warring factions

Since April 2023, the war has pitted the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the Rapid Support Forces commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The conflict has displaced more than 14 million people and triggered one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world.

Guterres stated that the conflict is fueled by several foreign countries and that accountability must be established when the supplied weapons are used extensively against civilians. He did not publicly name the states targeted by this statement.

In February, the Secretary-General had already called for an end to foreign interference in Sudan. In July, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, also urged an end to arms deliveries from abroad and advocated for the extension of the embargo currently focused on Darfur to the entire country.

A UN fact-finding mission indicated in early September that foreign arms, military technologies, fighters, and logistical networks are contributing to the prolongation of the war. According to its findings cited by Reuters, this support has notably enhanced the parties’ ability to strike civilian areas from a distance using drones.