Security Council Extends Sudan’s Darfur Arms Embargo by One Month

Sudan’s UN ambassador argued that a comprehensive arms embargo contradicts the UN Charter’s assurance of the right to self-defence.

11 Sep 2026

The UN Security Council unanimously approved a brief extension of the arms embargo targeting Sudan’s western Darfur region. This decision allows additional time for discussions regarding a controversial US initiative to implement a nationwide weapons ban.

All 15 council members voted in favor of the one-month extension on Friday, preserving current restrictions while facilitating further negotiations over potential amendments to the sanctions framework.

US Ambassador Jeff Bartos expressed Washington’s support for the adoption, stating, “The current sanctions regime is over two decades outdated and fails to address the realities of the ongoing conflict.”

The United States is advocating for an expansion of the embargo across Sudan to compel the warring factions to cease a conflict that has persisted for over three years.

Bartos called upon the council to “expand the arms embargo to cover all of Sudan, broaden the listing measures to encompass severe offenses such as conflict-related sexual violence, kidnapping for ransom, and assaults on humanitarian workers, and enhance the mandate and efficacy of the panel of experts.”

The Security Council initially imposed an arms embargo on the expansive Darfur region following the eruption of violence in 2003, when insurgents rose up against the Khartoum government then led by Omar al-Bashir.

In response, the government launched aerial bombardments and a ground offensive supported by allied militias known as the Popular Defence Forces, referred to by rebels as “Janjaweed.” These forces have been accused of mass killings and sexual assaults. The conflict resulted in up to 300,000 deaths and displaced 2.7 million people.

Russia, which possesses veto power on the council and supports the Sudanese government against paramilitary forces, committed to blocking any expansion of the arms embargo.

Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Anna Evstigneeva, clarified Moscow’s boundaries during closed negotiations, declaring, “We will not permit even the slightest broadening of council restrictions on Sudan.”

Evstigneeva questioned the US rationale for seeking to expand the embargo now, given that government forces “hold a distinct advantage on the ground,” rather than in 2023 when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) threatened the capital, Khartoum, and other urban centers.

Sudan’s UN Ambassador Al-Harith Mohamed asserted to the council that a total arms embargo violates the UN Charter’s guarantee of the right to self-defence, which includes the right of armed forces to produce and acquire weapons to safeguard national sovereignty.

During an August 24 council meeting, the United States pressed for a countrywide arms embargo to compel the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to negotiate an end to the fighting that commenced in April 2023.

The ongoing conflict has claimed at least 59,000 lives, although humanitarian organizations caution that the actual toll may be significantly higher. The war has displaced approximately 13 million people and pushed portions of the nation into famine, precipitating one of the most severe humanitarian crises globally.

Source link