BRUSSELS,Belgium(Imran Saqib Ch/LP) – The European Union has issued its strongest condemnation yet of the “grave and ongoing atrocities” committed by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), particularly following the paramilitary group’s seizure of El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
In a statement released after Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council, the EU accused the RSF of deliberate attacks on civilians, ethnically motivated killings, widespread and systematic sexual and gender-based violence, the use of starvation as a weapon of war, and the systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid. Brussels declared that such acts “constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law” and “may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity”.
In a concrete response, the Council adopted restrictive measures – including asset freezes and travel bans on entry into the EU – against Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF’s second-in-command and brother of its leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemedti”). The EU warned that it “stands ready to impose further sanctions, as appropriate, on all individuals and entities responsible for destabilising Sudan and undermining its political transition”.
Accountability was described as the “central pillar” of the Council’s conclusions on Sudan adopted on 20 October 2025. The bloc pledged to intensify support for documentation and investigation of violations in order to break what it called “the persistent cycle of impunity that continues to fuel new atrocities”. The EU foreign ministers reaffirmed full backing for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission in their probes into crimes allegedly committed by both the RSF and the SAF, as well as their affiliates.
“The culture of impunity in Sudan must end. Those responsible – at whatever level – must be held accountable,” the statement read.
While placing primary responsibility for ending the 30-month war on the leadership of the RSF, the SAF and their allied militias, the EU also called on all external actors to immediately halt the sale or transfer of arms and materiel to any party in violation of UN Security Council resolutions 1556 (2004) and 1591 (2005). Brussels said it would continue to push for an expansion of both the ICC’s mandate and the arms embargo to cover the entire territory of Sudan.
The EU urged an immediate resumption of negotiations toward a lasting ceasefire, in line with the 12 September statement issued by the Quad (United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom). The bloc reiterated its active role – notably as co-chair of the Paris and London conferences on Sudan – in working with the Quad and other international partners to end the suffering of the Sudanese people and achieve a sustainable political settlement.
Emphasising that civilian protection and humanitarian access must not be conditioned on a ceasefire, the EU demanded concrete steps to safeguard civilians, humanitarian workers, medical personnel and local first-responders, whom it praised for their courage. All parties were reminded of their obligations under international humanitarian law to allow safe passage for civilians fleeing El Fasher and other besieged areas and to release all hostages without delay.
More than 25,000 people have been killed and over 14 million displaced since fighting erupted between the RSF and the SAF in April 2023. The fall of El Fasher last week has raised fears of a repeat of the ethnic massacres that scarred Darfur two decades ago.
