A steady influx of foreign arms is fueling Sudan’s war and enabling grave atrocities against civilians, as both warring factions escalate attacks on aid convoys, hospitals, and displacement camps.

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Sudan Faces Worsening Famine as Conflict Blocks Aid and Displaces Millions

The war in Sudan is being deliberately prolonged by the continued supply of weapons from abroad, worsening atrocities and deepening the humanitarian collapse, warned the UN-mandated Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Tuesday.

“The conflict is no longer just internal. It is externally sustained,” said investigator Mona Rishmawi. “Weapons continue to pour in, and both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are using them to wage war on civilians.”

The civil war, which began in April 2023 after the collapse of a power-sharing agreement, has killed more than 16,000 people and displaced over 13 million. Entire communities in Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum have been devastated by airstrikes, mass killings, and widespread sexual violence.

The fact-finding mission condemned the weaponization of humanitarian aid. The SAF has blocked delivery through bureaucratic restrictions, while the RSF has looted convoys and denied access in famine-stricken areas, especially in Darfur.

On June 2, a UN convoy was bombed in Al Koma while traveling to El Fasher, killing five humanitarian workers. RSF forces have also shelled El Fasher’s Saudi Hospital and launched a deadly drone strike in May on Obeid International Hospital, killing six civilians and shutting down one of the last operating clinics in North Kordofan.

“These are not incidental damages. This is a deliberate strategy of targeting civilian infrastructure to control populations,” said Rishmawi.

The mission also documented a sharp rise in sexual and gender-based violence in RSF-controlled areas, including rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriage. In one incident between October and December 2024, RSF fighters reportedly killed over 8,000 civilians in Eastern Gezira, committed mass sexual assaults, and burned down entire villages.

Meanwhile, a growing body of evidence links international actors to the ongoing violence. Investigations by The Guardian, Financial Times, and Amnesty International have traced combat drones, armored vehicles, and French-manufactured weapons to RSF units, pointing to suppliers in China, Serbia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

In January 2025, the United States formally accused the RSF of committing genocide in Darfur and sanctioned RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, as well as UAE-based firms accused of facilitating arms transfers.

Despite repeated calls for a global arms embargo, the UN Security Council remains divided, allowing weapons to continue flowing into the country.

“The international community must stop enabling this war,” Rishmawi said. “Accountability cannot be optional.”

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