Top diplomats from three nations have united in demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan amid escalating violence in the Darfur region. The coordinated appeal came from British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi during the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain.
International Condemnation of Atrocities
The ministers specifically condemned paramilitary Rapid Support Forces operations in El-Fasher, where United Nations reports indicate hundreds of civilian deaths and systematic, ethnically targeted attacks. The German foreign minister characterized the humanitarian situation as “absolutely an apocalyptic situation,” citing accounts of mass executions, starvation, and sexual violence being used as weapons of war.
Crisis of “Inhumane Proportions”
British Foreign Secretary Cooper emphasized that the international response to Sudan has failed compared to other global crises, noting that humanitarian aid cannot effectively reach those in need while fighting continues. Jordan’s top diplomat Safadi, described the scale of suffering as reaching “inhumane proportions” and stressed that the conflict has not received appropriate international attention despite its severity.
Background of the Conflict
The joint diplomatic initiative addresses a war that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF paramilitary group. Despite multiple regional and international mediation attempts, the conflict has resulted in approximately 20,000 fatalities and created over 15 million refugees and internally displaced persons according to United Nations estimates.