As of mid-October, more than 7 million people have been displaced within Sudan, according to the United Nations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Nov. 12 that steps to block foreign weapons flows to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) must be taken, warning that continued advances by the paramilitary group were deepening the humanitarian suffering in Sudan.
Speaking to reporters at the close of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Canada, Rubio said the United States was pressing all parties “at the highest levels” to stop the conflict, now more than two and a half years old.
The fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF has claimed more than 61,000 lives in Khartoum state alone, according to a 2024 study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Sudan Research Group.
As of mid-October, more than 7 million people have been displaced within the country, according to the United Nations.
According to the World Health Organisation, a recent reported attack on the Darfur city of el-Fasher saw the RSF allegedly kill more than 460 people at the Saudi Maternity Hospital on Oct. 28, sparking international condemnation. The RSF has denied the allegation.
Commenting on the escalation of violence in Sudan, Rubio said the RSF is “clearly receiving assistance from outside,” from countries that are financing it and “allowing their territory to be used to ship it and transport it.”
The United States has been working with its Quad partners—an informal diplomatic group including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—to lead a negotiated peace process in Sudan.
In September, the government of Sudan accused the UAE of providing weapons to the RSF. The UAE has rejected the allegations, calling them “utterly false” and “baseless.”
When asked about the UAE’s role in the conflict, Rubio said the United States knows the parties involved in providing assistance to the RSF, but stopped short of naming any.
“I don’t want to get into calling anybody out at a press conference today, because what we want is a good outcome here. This needs to stop,” he added.
Rubio said Washington’s engagement with the Quad remained central to efforts to contain the conflict.
