EU Parliament and Council Take Firm Stand on Sudan Crisis as Accountability Efforts Widen

The Siege of El-Obeid and a Growing International Response

More than 33 million people in Sudan need humanitarian assistance. Sixteen million of them are children. The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has escalated into the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, and the city of El-Obeid now faces the same brutal pattern that devastated El-Fasher in Darfur.

On 9 July 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the threat of war crimes, escalating violations of international humanitarian law, and the human rights situation in El-Obeid. The following day, the EU High Representative issued a statement on behalf of the Union on the escalating violence in the same city. These two interventions, coming within twenty-four hours of each other, signal a coordinated European effort to confront a conflict that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and pushed an entire region toward collapse.

The European Parliament’s resolution does not mince words. It condemns in the strongest terms the war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan, particularly the ongoing RSF siege of El-Obeid. It insists that the international community prevent a repetition of the El-Fasher massacre and force the RSF to lift its siege. The text also implores all warring parties to cease fire, uphold international humanitarian law, and immediately end all attacks against civilians, including sexual violence and forced starvation.

The numbers are staggering. The RSF have laid siege to El-Obeid, reportedly preparing an imminent ground offensive. International actors warn of the risk of mass atrocities, with 500,000 civilians at risk. The UN independent fact-finding mission found that the RSF takeover of El-Fasher bore the hallmarks of genocide and warns of further war crimes. Rape and other forms of sexual violence are used as weapons of war. Drone strikes against El-Obeid killed civilians, destroyed the city’s power and fuel access, cut water supplies, and disrupted access to life-saving necessities. Sudan’s healthcare system is collapsing.

External Actors and the Arms Embargo

One of the most significant aspects of the Parliament’s resolution is its focus on external actors fueling the conflict. The text states:

“Condemns all external interference fuelling the war; urges all states, including the UAE, to cease financing, arms supply or other support of the RSF; urges the EEAS and the Council to sanction individuals, entities and external enablers and private security companies, such as Global Security Services Group, for breaching the UN arms embargo, and to work with the UNSC to extend the embargo to all of Sudan.”

This direct naming of the United Arab Emirates marks a notable shift in European institutional language. The resolution goes beyond general condemnation of external interference to identify specific states and corporate actors allegedly enabling the RSF. It calls for targeted sanctions, the extension of the UN arms embargo to all of Sudan, and the inclusion of the RSF on the EU terrorism list.

The EU Council statement, issued on 10 July 2026, reinforces this position. The High Representative expressed deep alarm at the escalating violence in El-Obeid and called for immediate protection of civilians, unimpeded humanitarian access, and accountability for perpetrators. The statement emphasized that the EU stands ready to support efforts to bring those responsible for international crimes to justice.

The ICC Communication and Expanding Accountability

Parallel to these institutional developments, accountability efforts are widening beyond state and EU mechanisms. In an article published by European Times News, it was reported that a group of Sudanese victims, represented by Me Élise Le Gall of Cabinet LE GALL AVOCATS, submitted a communication to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on 16 June 2026. The filing requests an investigation into international crimes committed in El-Fasher, Darfur, on 26 October 2025.

What distinguishes this communication is its scope. For the first time, the ICC is being asked to examine not only the direct perpetrators — identified through open-source investigations by the Center for Information Resilience — but also external actors allegedly supporting the RSF. The filing refers to Emirati individuals, including His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates, who is alleged to maintain close connections with the RSF and contribute to its financing and logistical support.

Me Le Gall stated: “International crimes cannot be committed without support networks. Beyond the alleged direct perpetrators, the Communication invites the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to examine the role of economic and public actors who may have contributed to the functioning and operational capacity of the RSF, including through the provision of funding, logistical support, equipment, or personnel.”

This legal action complements the European Parliament’s call for sanctions and the EU Council’s statement on accountability. It represents a multi-track approach: institutional pressure through resolutions and statements, legal pressure through ICC proceedings, and diplomatic pressure through naming and shaming external enablers.

CAP LC’s Sustained Engagement at the United Nations

CAP Liberté de Conscience has followed the Sudan crisis closely since its escalation in April 2023. Our organisation has consistently raised the situation at the UN Human Rights Council, using both written and oral statements to document violations and demand accountability.

At the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, CAP LC delivered an oral statement under Item 2 on the human rights situation in Sudan, drawing attention to the ongoing atrocities and the failure of the international community to protect civilians. In a written statement submitted during the same session, CAP LC addressed the need for extending accountability for crimes against humanity, emphasizing that impunity for perpetrators only emboldens further violations.

CAP LC also participated in the interactive dialogue on the oral update of the OHCHR on the human rights situation in and around El-Fasher. This engagement was particularly relevant given the UN fact-finding mission’s finding that the RSF takeover of El-Fasher bore the hallmarks of genocide.

Earlier, at the 59th session, CAP LC and Human Rights Without Frontiers co-sponsored a statement highlighting the use of chemical weapons by Sudanese Armed Forces. In another written statement, CAP LC documented broader human rights violations in Sudan. The organisation also addressed the ongoing genocide and the intervention of international actors, and engaged in an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions. A side-event on human rights in Sudan was organised to bring together stakeholders and amplify victim voices.

These interventions have consistently emphasized three points: the scale of civilian suffering, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, and the role of external actors in enabling the conflict. The European Parliament’s resolution and the EU Council statement align with these concerns, particularly in their explicit naming of the UAE and their call for sanctions against external enablers.

Humanitarian Access and Civilian Protection

The Parliament’s resolution contains specific demands on humanitarian access. It calls for the EU to urgently increase humanitarian support for Sudan, including for survivors of sexual violence, those facing hunger, IDPs, and refugees. It stresses the need for direct funding for Emergency Response Rooms and other local frontline organisations, and for humanitarian corridors to ensure civilian evacuation routes and crossline and cross-border humanitarian access to El-Obeid.

The resolution also urges the EU to join the African Union and the UN in efforts to engage the warring parties towards a ceasefire and to support a civilian-led peace process. It demands accountability for all perpetrators, calls for independent investigations into alleged war crimes, and urges the EU to financially and politically support these efforts. The text presses for extending ICC jurisdiction to all of Sudan and supporting the mandate of the UN fact-finding mission.

These recommendations reflect a growing recognition that the Sudan crisis cannot be addressed through humanitarian aid alone. Political pressure, legal accountability, and targeted sanctions against external actors are necessary components of any effective response.

The Broader Context

The Sudan conflict has become a test case for the international community’s ability to prevent mass atrocities in an era of fragmented geopolitics. The UN arms embargo on Darfur has been systematically violated. External actors have supplied weapons, funding, and logistical support to the RSF. The African Union and the UN have struggled to broker a ceasefire. And millions of civilians continue to suffer.

The European Parliament’s resolution and the EU Council statement represent a step toward more assertive European engagement. By naming the UAE, calling for sanctions, and demanding accountability, these institutions have moved beyond generic expressions of concern to specific, actionable demands.

For CAP LC, this development is significant. Our organisation has long argued that freedom of conscience and religion cannot be separated from broader human rights and security concerns. The Sudan crisis demonstrates how the collapse of state authority, the proliferation of armed groups, and external interference create conditions in which all human rights — including the right to freedom of religion or belief — are systematically violated.

Looking Forward

The resolution instructs the Parliament’s President to forward the text to the Council, the Commission, the authorities of Sudan, the African Union, and the UN. This ensures that the Parliament’s recommendations reach the key decision-makers.

The EU Council statement, meanwhile, signals that the Union is prepared to use its diplomatic and economic leverage to pressure the warring parties and their external supporters.

The ICC communication adds a legal dimension to this pressure. If the Office of the Prosecutor opens an investigation, it would mark the first time that the Court examines not only direct perpetrators but also the alleged responsibility of high-level foreign officials in supporting the RSF.

But the European Parliament’s resolution, the EU Council statement, and the ICC communication represent a coordinated, multi-level response that goes beyond humanitarian aid to address the political, legal, and military dimensions of the crisis. For the victims in Sudan, and for the international community’s credibility, this response cannot come soon enough.