Today, the European Parliament has adopted a joint motion for a resolution on the escalation of the war and the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan.

The S&D Group voted in favour of this resolution given the need for a strong message to the Sudanese people condemning violence in El Fasher and across the country, and urging robust action to stop the war and provide humanitarian assistance. However, the text omits some of the key reasons and actors responsible for the conflict, deliberately left out by the European People’s Party (EPP) and the far right.

We deplore that the resolution fails to explicitly mention the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its role in fuelling the war in Sudan. This was a crucial demand for the S&Ds since credible investigations have indicated that external actors, notably networks operating from or through the UAE, have supported the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) through financing and arms supply, thereby violating the UN arms embargo and EU restrictive measures.

It is nonetheless positive that, following an S&D amendment, the final resolution calls for assessing whether the conduct of the RSF in Sudan could meet the criteria for terrorist offences and terrorist groups under EU law. This was a key request from the S&Ds based on the RSF’s deliberate and systematic attacks on civilians, including sexual violence, the use of starvation as a weapon, terror tactics and efforts to destabilise Sudan.

Marit Maij, S&D coordinator of the Delegation to the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and S&D negotiator on the resolution, said:

“We all feel outrage over the war in Sudan and feel solidarity with the Sudanese people, where starvation and sexual and gender-based violence, including rape, are being used as a weapon of war. We need to step up humanitarian assistance, pressure for access to aid, and to establish protected humanitarian corridors and safe evacuation routes.

“However, solidarity is not enough. We know who fuels this war, and those – directly and indirectly – responsible must be held accountable. Credible investigations have clearly indicated that external actors, notably networks operating from or through the UAE, have supported the RSF, which has perpetrated mass atrocities in the country. It’s a disgrace that the EPP teamed up with the far right to deny this reality, and didn’t even dare to mention the UAE in the resolution.

“We in the S&D Group call on UAE authorities to stop fuelling the war in Sudan. We urge the Commission and the HR/VP to address this in all relevant EU-UAE frameworks, and we call on the Commission to suspend trade negotiations until the UAE ceases its involvement in the war in Sudan.

“A genuinely civilian-led transition is the only viable path forward toward sustainable peace in Sudan. In particular, women-led organisations must be central to the peace talks, and must lead the transition process.”