The Crisis in Sudan, Inflamed - UCF Global Perspectives and International Initiatives

Recent news reports flooding from Sudan, the North African country torn apart by civil war for three years, have surfaced, displaying razed, blood-stained villages in and around the final SAF stronghold and city, El Fasher (ABC) (Yale 1,2). Since the start of the conflict, an estimated 150,000 people have been killed, and 14 million have been displaced, with 30 million people in need of humanitarian and emergency food assistance (Global Conflict Tracker).

El Fasher had been under siege by the RSF paramilitary group in Sudan for 18 months (AP News). Since the collapse of the city, the ICC has warned of crimes against humanity and begun collecting evidence of war crimes and genocide in the Darfur region, where the RSF has further expanded control (AP News). Researchers at Yale have documented data and satellite imagery depicting evidence of mass killings in hospitals, schools, and throughout villages and surrounding areas, warning of its dispersal throughout the region if left unaddressed (Yale 1, 2). Additionally, videos taken by civilians and journalists have documented civilian massacres and extreme acts of violence committed by RSF soldiers against noncombatants (BBC 1). The UN’s top relief official, Tom Fletcher, has warned mass-rape, mutilation, and murder, “without impunity,” has occurred on a widespread scale (UN News).

The aforementioned siege, along with a food blockade, has combined with the recent dismissal of UN WFP officials by Sudan’s military government and devastating budget cuts to international aid, drastically reducing the critical amount of food able to enter Sudan (Al Jazeera, BBC 2). Further, both warring parties have been accused of withholding aid and restricting relief workers as the conflict intensifies, making international response increasingly difficult (AL Jazeera). The impacts of these budget cuts and aid setbacks are severe, with over 40% of the population facing severe food insecurity and risk of famine (UN News).

Since the international backlash that followed, RSF leader, Hemedti, has claimed ignorance regarding responsibility, and released footage, claiming to begin investigating, arresting, and prosecuting those involved in the mass killings (BBC 3). Despite the RSF and Hemedti’s outright denial of a pattern of genocide against non-Arab Sudanese populations, such as the Masalit, and promises to make right on violations, observers and critics point to similar promises that were broken in the Darfur city of el-Geneina in 2023 following comparable incidents (BBC 3, Amnesty International 2).

Sudanese journalist, Nesrine Malik, in a November 3^rd article, declared, “That arsenal, and therefore the calamity in El Fasher and the wider Darfur region, is sponsored by the UAE.” (The Guardian). Malik’s claim, like many other Sudanese, is based on the overflowing accusations and evidence of indirect sponsorship, funding, and arming of the RSF via intermediary supply chain (The Guardian, Amnesty International 1).

The siege, and subsequent hastened campaign in Darfur, followed the ICJ trial between the two countries, in which Sudan sued the UAE for violating the Genocide Convention by supporting a perpetrating actor (The Guardian, Reuters). While UN investigations have documented the UAE’s indirect involvement in the conflict through financial networks and weapons transfers since January 2024, when the case was brought to the ICJ on April 10, 2025, the ICJ abstained based on a lack of jurisdiction (UN Security Council, UN ICJ 1, 2). The ICJ was quick to dismiss their jurisdiction on the grounds of Article IX of the Convention on the Punishment of Crime of Genocide, a clause, unsigned by some treaty members who opted out of allowing other nations to sue on behalf of a population (UN ICJ 1,2). In many ways, this has paralleled a similar choice of inaction by the ICJ in 2006, with its decision to abstain from investigating genocide in Rwanda on behalf of the DRC, due to Rwanda not signing Article IX (UN ICJ 3).

While the UAE emphasized its exoneration, the ICJ cannot investigate further due to a lack of authority within the current treaty framework (Reuters). Malik further stated that currently, the UAE is profiting through gold mined in RSF territories, which finances its continued military campaign (The Guardian). She warns, “Those who have leverage over the UAE, and therefore the RSF, but allow the violence to pass without urgent action or pressure have blood on their hands.” (The Guardian). Meanwhile, several thinktanks and organizations have criticized the UAE and Sudan trial, with groups like CIVICUS claiming,

“It exposes the limits of international law and how its reliance on voluntary state participation allows countries to appear committed to human rights while avoiding scrutiny through strategic reservations. This dynamic reinforces concerns that bodies like the ICJ may neutralize and pacify conflicts rather than deliver justice, making power dynamics behind a pretence of justice.” (CIVICUS).

Despite continued claims by UN experts, U.S. lawmakers, and assorted human rights groups, the ICJ conclusion leaves fewer legal avenues for Sudan to pursue justice (Reuters). It was only on October 6^th, 2025, that the ICC finally began convicting RSF leaders for their atrocities committed in Darfur over 20 years ago, signaling increasing pressure for action in the current campaign (AP News 1, 2). Sources and Human Rights organizations all warn for increasingly worse conditions for the people of Sudan, with the loss of life now “visible from space” (Global Conflict Tracker, The Guardian).

Sources:

AP News:

AP News 1: https://apnews.com/article/icc-sudan-darfur-elfasher-rsf-c0c4f64d31c7d8d518cfa47d3fb14566

AP News 2: https://apnews.com/article/icc-court-darfur-sudan-verdict-538055077897127929259e7515b7a40c

Amnesty International:

Amnesty International 1: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/05/sudan-advanced-chinese-weaponry-provided-by-uae-identified-in-breach-of-arms-embargo-new-investigation/

Amnesty International 2: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/10/sudan-el-fasher/

BBC:

BBC 1: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9kjw515pyo

BBC 2: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yp2v4n1d5o

BBC 3: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq50jg5nv45o

United Nations: