Sudan's prime minister urges UN to designate RSF as terrorist group, calls for arms embargo

Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris on Thursday called on the international community and the UN to designate the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a “terrorist militia.”

During an address to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Idris urged the international community and the UN to stop the flow of weapons and mercenaries into Sudan.

He said the “Sudanese people have faced existential threats and dangers because of the RSF, which has adopted a policy of terrorising civilians.”

Idris said his country is witnessing “enormous challenges and risks shaking the (UN) Charter and multilateralism, threatening regional and international stability, while the foundations of international law are eroding, and crimes of genocide, aggression, and the use of foreign mercenaries to occupy states’ territories and massacre their peoples are escalating.”

Since April 2023, Sudan’s army and the RSF have been locked in a civil war that has left thousands dead and displaced millions.

Idris also called for the immediate lifting of the siege on the city of El-Fasher, in line with UN Security Council resolutions.

He condemned the continued international silence over the siege and the shelling of displacement camps, mosques, and health and service facilities across the country.

El-Fasher has witnessed intense fighting between the army and RSF since May 2024, despite international warnings about the risks of violence in a city that serves as a key humanitarian hub for the five Darfur states.

Idris also touched on the catastrophic situation in Gaza, saying it “poses grave dangers to the region and its peoples.”

“There can be no stability or security in the region without a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, enabling the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders,” he said.

Idris condemned the recent Israeli attack on Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar, saying it threatens international peace and security.

World leaders step up efforts

Meanwhile, behind the scenes at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, key countries and regional organisations have been coordinating efforts to try to end the horrific war in Sudan.

Alan Boswell, the International Crisis Group's project director for the Horn of Africa, said this year’s high-level General Assembly meeting, which ends on Monday, could be “make-or-break” for stopping the conflict.

“For the first time since the war broke out more than two years ago, Sudan’s most influential outside powers agreed this month on a roadmap to end the war,” he said in a statement.

“Now comes the huge task of trying to convince Sudan’s warring parties to stop fighting.”

At least 40,000 people have been killed, nearly 13 million displaced and many pushed to the brink of famine with over 24 million acutely food insecure, UN agencies say.

Diplomats seek a humanitarian truce and ceasefire

In a key development after a summer of discussions, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement on September 12 calling for a humanitarian truce for an initial three months to deliver desperately needed aid throughout Sudan followed by a permanent ceasefire.

Then, the four countries said, “an inclusive and transparent transition process should be launched and concluded within nine months to meet the aspirations of the Sudanese people towards smoothly establishing an independent, civilian-led government with broad-based legitimacy and accountability.”

The group, calling themselves the Quad, met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the assembly to discuss implementation of their roadmap.

Another meeting also focused on de-escalating the war was convened on Wednesday by the African Union, the European Union and the foreign ministers of Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Representatives of the Quad, a dozen other countries, the Arab League, the United Nations and the east Africa regional group IGAD also attended.

A statement issued by the AU, EU, France, Germany, UK, Denmark, Norway and Canada after the meeting urged the warring government and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to resume direct negotiations to achieve a permanent ceasefire.

It welcomed the September 12 statement by the Quad, and expressed support for efforts by the AU and the EU “to coordinate international and bilateral efforts to pressure all Sudanese parties towards a ceasefire, humanitarian action and political dialogue.”

The statement strongly condemned the military involvement of unnamed foreign countries and “non-state actors” and urged them to stop fueling the conflict.

RSF accused of crimes against civilians

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his “State of the World” speech at the opening of the global gathering on Tuesday, made a similar appeal to all parties, including unnamed countries in the vast assembly chamber: "End the external support that is fueling this bloodshed. Push to protect civilians.”

“In Sudan, civilians are being slaughtered, starved, and silenced,” Guterres said.

“Women and girls face unspeakable violence.”

The deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said in July that the tribunal believes war crimes and crimes against humanity are taking place in Darfur, where the RSF controls all regional capitals except el-Fasher in North Darfur.

The RSF and their allies announced in late June they had formed a parallel government in areas the group controls.

The UN Security Council rejected the plan, warning that a rival government threatens the country’s territorial integrity and risks further exacerbating the ongoing civil war.