United Kingdom Calls on Global Community to Support Justice and Civilian Protection Amid RSF Violence in Darfur Sudan

Diplomatic language is usually careful and measured, but that restraint vanished when the United Kingdom addressed the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Speaking during the enhanced interactive dialogue on Sudan, Kumar Iyer, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, delivered a statement that felt less like routine diplomacy and more like a wake-up call.

At the center of his remarks was the siege and attempted takeover of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces.

What investigators uncovered there, he said, should deeply disturb the international community.

The Siege of El Fasher and a Pattern of Brutality

El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has long been a fragile refuge in Sudan’s spiraling conflict.

But according to the UN-mandated Fact-Finding Mission, the city became the scene of extreme and calculated violence.

The group under scrutiny is the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary force that evolved from the notorious Janjaweed militias once active in Darfur.

Their actions during the siege reportedly included blocking food and humanitarian aid, leaving civilians with a horrifying choice: starve or survive on animal feed.

Investigators documented accounts of children subjected to mass rape, families ambushed while trying to escape, and perpetrators openly calling for “extermination.”

The Fact-Finding Mission concluded that the violence carried the “hallmarks of genocide,” a phrase that carries heavy legal and moral weight under international law.

A War That Has Torn Sudan Apart

The crisis in El Fasher is part of a much wider catastrophe.

Since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, Sudan has descended into one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

Millions have been displaced internally or forced to flee across borders into Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt.

Famine conditions have been declared in parts of Darfur, healthcare systems have collapsed, and aid convoys face looting and obstruction.

Entire communities are caught between rival armed factions with little protection.

El Fasher, once seen as one of the last major strongholds not under RSF control in Darfur, became symbolic.

Its fall or survival carries strategic and psychological consequences for the wider war.

The UK’s Call for Immediate International Action

The UK’s statement did not stop at condemnation.

It called for urgent international action to halt the violence and secure justice for victims.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary has stressed that without swift and coordinated global pressure, atrocities will continue unchecked.

One key demand is an end to the flow of weapons into Sudan, which are seen as fueling the brutality.

The UK also urged both warring parties to return to negotiations in good faith, although previous ceasefire attempts have repeatedly collapsed.

Ministers from the Sudan Core Group announced the formation of a new Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan, aimed at strengthening civilian protection, documenting crimes, and supporting long-term accountability mechanisms.

Countries were encouraged to join and reinforce the push for justice.

Why the “Genocide” Warning Matters

When UN investigators use language suggesting genocide, it is not casual.

Under the Genocide Convention, states have a duty not only to punish genocide but also to prevent it, shifting the debate from sympathy to obligation.

Sudan’s painful history makes the warning even more haunting.

The Darfur conflict in the early 2000s triggered similar accusations, leading to International Criminal Court arrest warrants against former President Omar al-Bashir.

The echoes are hard to ignore, and if the international community hesitates again, critics argue, it risks repeating past failures.

A Global Failure — and a Plea for Solidarity

Perhaps the most striking part of the UK statement was its blunt assessment: the world is still failing the people of Sudan.

For civilians trapped in conflict zones, diplomatic debates in Geneva can feel painfully distant, yet those debates matter.

International pressure can shape sanctions, humanitarian access, arms embargoes, and future prosecutions. Without it, impunity thrives.

Sudanese civilians have endured nearly a year of war between two powerful military factions.

Many have lost homes, livelihoods, and loved ones.

The UK’s message was simple — they should not have to endure this alone.

What’s Next?

The immediate months ahead will likely see efforts to expand the Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice, which could strengthen coordinated sanctions, evidence collection, and civilian protection initiatives.

Pressure is expected to grow for tighter enforcement of arms embargoes and greater transparency in regional supply chains.

Diplomatic mediation efforts from the African Union and neighboring states may try to revive ceasefire talks, while evidence gathered by the Fact-Finding Mission could eventually support cases before international courts or hybrid tribunals.

Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies will push to expand aid corridors and emergency funding to address famine conditions.

How effectively the international community acts will determine whether Sudan avoids another cycle of catastrophic violence.

Summary

At the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, the UK delivered a forceful statement condemning atrocities committed during the siege of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces.

A UN Fact-Finding Mission found evidence of extreme abuses — including starvation tactics, sexual violence, killings, and rhetoric suggesting extermination — with violence bearing the hallmarks of genocide.

The UK called for urgent international action, a halt to weapons flows, renewed negotiations, and broader support for a new Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan.

With millions displaced and famine spreading, the crisis continues to deepen.

The international community now faces a stark choice: act decisively or risk once again failing the people of Sudan.