United States proposes expanding UN arms embargo to all of Sudan

The United States has proposed that the United Nations expand its existing arms embargo from the Darfur region to cover the entirety of Sudan. The current embargo on Darfur is set to expire on September 12, unless a new agreement is reached.

The American proposal includes implementing a restrictive regime for drones and increasing the number of experts to monitor the embargo. Washington warns that the brutal civil war, which has lasted over four years and resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and millions of displaced people, threatens to spill over into the surrounding region.

Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council with veto power, has expressed opposition to the new measures, specifically those that would impact the Sudanese army. While the Sudanese representative at the UN called for a ‘technical extension’ of the existing Darfur embargo, they noted that the proposed changes might disproportionately affect the military and weaken civilian protection.

Conflict dynamics remain divided, with the army controlling central and eastern Sudan, while the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) control Darfur and parts of the south. UN officials have noted that the use of sophisticated weaponry indicates ongoing external support for both sides of the conflict.