Top US diplomat lashes out at Sudan's RSF, calls for cut off of weapons supply
Hamilton, Canada (PANA) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has strongly criticised Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the “terrible” things it has been doing in the war against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and called for a cut off of its weapons supply.
Speaking to reporters in Hamilton, Canada, after a meeting of the G7 Foreign Ministers, he said he discussed it multiple times with multiple countries adding “what’s happening there is horrifying”.
“…I think something needs to be done to cut off the weapons and the support that the RSF is getting as they continue with their advances. I think it’s telling – the humanitarian groups are telling us that some of the levels of malnutrition and suffering that they’re seeing from some of these people who have been able to flee is unprecedented, they’ve said.”
Mr. Rubio said the humanitrian groups have recorded things they’ve never recorded before, adding “I think even more troubling is that they didn’t have the number of refugees they expected to receive because they assume many of them are either dead or so sick and malnourished they can’t move anymore.”
The Quad, comprisng the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, has called for a three-month humanitarian truce to enable the delivery of emergency aid to all areas as a step toward a permanent ceasefire.
The RSF has agreed to the truce but Rubio said “the fundamental problem we have is that the RSF agrees to things and then never – never follows through with it, so now what you have is a calamity on your hands”.
“… a few days ago agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire, but they don’t intend to comply with it. And when you raise the issue of these atrocities, they always hide behind the argument that this is rogue elements. Well, it’s not rogue elements. It’s – they’re doing it systematically, and it’s something that we have taken very seriously and are doing everything we can to bring the relevant countries to the table to stop it. It needs to end.”
He said there are countries involved in helping these elements on the ground fighting, and the G7 ministers share many of the same concerns that others do about how that could turn into a nest for jihadist and terrorist activity.
“But the solution to it is not to fight a war where civilians literally are being targeted for rape, sexual violence, and murder, and that’s what happening.”
The Sudanese Foreign Minister, Muhieldin Salim, in reaction to the Quad truce proposals, said that the government “does not deal officially” with the Quad mechanism.
“We deal with our brothers in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and with friends in the United States in bilateral capacities… and we coordinate with them as happened in our coordination with Egypt and the United Nations.”
The Sudanese government objects to the presence of the UAE in the Quad mechanism. It accuses Abu Dhabi of supporting the RSF in the war and says the UAE should not play the role of mediator while it is fuelling the conflict by supporting the paramilitary group.
Mr. Rubio, asked about his assessment on the UAE’s role in the conflict and continuing supply of drones to RSF, he replied: “Yeah, so we’re working hard – we know who the parties are that are involved…that’s why they’re part of the Quad along with other countries involved” and that “pressure is being applied to the relevant parties”.
Mr. Rubio said the RSF is “clearly receiving assistance from outside that’s allowing them.” adding that assistance is not just coming from some country that’s paying for it. “It’s also coming from countries that are allowing their territory to be used to ship it and transport it. So that – in order for this to be solved, that needs to be addressed.”
On whether he would you support bipartisan Senate push to label the RSF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, Mr. Rubio replied. “Yeah, I mean, if it would be helpful in bringing this to an end, we would.”
He said what is happening is the RSF has concluded that they’re winning and they want to keep going. “And by going – they’re not just fighting a war, which war alone is bad enough. They are – they’re committing acts of sexual violence and atrocities, just horrifying atrocities, against women, children, innocent civilians of the most horrific kind. And it needs to end immediately.”
Mr. Rubio said they going to do everything they can to bring it to an end, and they have encouraged partner nations to join in this fight.
"And we’re not going to let the Quad process that we’ve set up be a shield that people hide behind and say, ‘Well, we’re involved with the Quad. We’re trying to solve it.’ We need actionable results, and they need to happen very quickly; otherwise, what’s already a travesty is going to get far worse.
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.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan said in March that both sides were responsible for "a widespread pattern of arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment of detainees".
-0- PANA MA 13Nov2025
