Sudan Says Neighbours Undermining Darfur Arms Embargo

4 February 2026

Minister of State at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, Salima Ishaq meets UN panel of experts members in Port Sudan on Feb 4, 2026

February 4 2026 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudanese officials on Wednesday discussed with a United Nations panel of experts the role of neighbouring countries in undermining a U.N. Security Council arms embargo on the Darfur region.

Interior Minister Babaker Samra Mustafa and other senior officials met with the visiting U.N. delegation to address the implementation of Resolution 1591. Mustafa said in a statement that the meeting focused on the flow of weapons into Darfur and the failure of several neighbouring states to comply with the international resolution.

The minister said advanced weaponry is flowing into Darfur in large quantities, identifying the United Arab Emirates as the primary supplier. He alleged that arms reach the region through Libya via General Khalifa Haftar’s forces, as well as through Chad and African ports. Mustafa described international silence on these smuggling operations as a crime against the Sudanese people.

The Security Council established the sanctions regime in 2005 under Resolution 1591, which prohibits the sale and supply of arms to all warring parties in Darfur. A panel of experts assists a sanctions committee in monitoring the embargo, travel bans, and asset freezes. The panel’s mandate was most recently extended on September 13, 2025.

Mustafa said international silence regarding the influx of military equipment to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from the UAE and transit countries has contributed to “inhumane practices” and “gross violations” against civilians. He cited the recent massacre in El Fasher and the subsequent displacement of its residents as a direct result of these arms flows.

The RSF began its attempt to seize El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in May 2024. The conflict in the city has been marked by reports of ethnically motivated killings, forced displacement, sexual violence and the destruction of infrastructure. Since the RSF took control of the city in late October, satellite imagery has shown evidence of mass killings.

The minister informed the U.N. delegation of details regarding atrocities committed by the RSF and expressed hope that the panel’s upcoming report would maintain neutrality and present facts to the international community.

Most of Darfur is under the control of the RSF, with the exception of the Jebel Marra and Tawila areas held by the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Nur. The Sudanese army maintains a presence in some border areas in the far north of the region.