Sudanese govt slams EU Council for legitimising rival paramilitary group
Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - The Sudanese government on Wednesday rejected to the conclusions of the European Union Council, which emphasise that the primary responsibility for ending the conflict in the country lies with the leadership of both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and those supporting these entities.
In a strongly-worded statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government said the conclusions announced by the EU Council sought to grant legitimacy to the RSF while overlooking the violations they have committed against civilians.
Sudan Tribune, a Sudanese media outlet, quoted the statement as saying the EU Council’s conclusion demonstrated “a flawed approach” to Sudan’s situation, highlighting the conflicting agendas of states that prioritise their supreme interests over achieving peace as a fundamental principle in Sudan.
On 20 October, the European Council stated in a communiqué that it strongly condemned the ongoing conflict in Sudan and called on all parties to the bloody war to take necessary steps to end it.
In a statement following a meeting of its foreign ministers on Monday, the EU Council noted that the war had been causing the loss of thousands of lives and immense hardship for the Sudanese people for more than two years, and posed a serious threat to stability and security across the wider region.
“The EU is extremely concerned about the unity, territorial integrity and stability of Sudan, which are at serious risk, with increasing fragmentation along political and ethnic lines further exacerbated by the emergence of parallel governing structures,” the statement said.
The EU stressed that it rejected any attempt to partition the East African nation.
The EU defined certain demands to all parties to the conflict. These are constructive engagement in negotiations towards an immediate ceasefire and in a credible inclusive peace mediation process, leading to a sustained cessation of hostilities; and ensuring rapid, unimpeded and sustainable humanitarian access and the protection of civilians across all of Sudan.
The others are credible commitments to facilitate a genuinely inclusive, representative and independent civilian governance; and restoring and strengthening rule of law, accountability, respect for international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law, and justice in Sudan.
“The EU is ready to increase its engagement with the parties to the conflict, provided there is credible progress towards achieving the EU’s key asks,” the statement said.
In response, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that the government’s openness and engagement with the regional and international communities to achieve peace do not imply acceptance of any party that does not respect Sudan’s sovereignty over its lands and territorial integrity.
“Nor does it accept being equated with a racist, terrorist militia in any political process that would replicate the experiences that led to the (General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo) militia’s rebellion and its exploitation of international forums to gain more time to reorganise its ranks and recruit its mercenaries under the pretext of ceasefires for humanitarian purposes,” the foreign ministry added.
The foreign ministry spoke of the EU Council’s disregard for the “terrorist militia’s” continued siege of El Fasher and its use of starvation, forced displacement, and systematic violence against women, the elderly, and children as a weapon of war, despite regional and international appeals and resolutions.
“It would have been more appropriate for the European Council to pressure the rebellious militia to implement this resolution instead of calling for a truce that gives it enough time to catch its breath and rally its forces, as it did during the Jeddah negotiations,” it added.
The ministry stated that the EU Council overlooked the Sudanese government’s efforts to overcome obstacles for relief organisations operating in Sudan, including the opening of humanitarian corridors, measures that these organisations have acknowledged and praised.
It said that the double standards in dealing with Sudanese affairs and the disregard for the RSF’s transgressions were evident in the conclusions of the Council of the European Union.
This, the Foreign Ministry said, "gives legitimacy to sit for negotiations with a terrorist group that has killed, looted, and destroyed the capabilities of the Sudanese people, and reproduces it in a new political guise that provides it with a position to engage with regional and international actors”.
The EU had said that as co-chair of the Paris and London conferences for Sudan and its neighbouring countries, it has illustrated its commitment to support the people of Sudan and to play an active role in addressing the conflict in a comprehensive way.
Sudan’s civil war pits the SAF against the RSF – once allies who turned their weapons on each other in April 2023. Fighting has displaced more than ten million people, destroyed large parts of Khartoum and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
-0- PANA MA 23Oct2025
