EU Condemns Ongoing Sudan War on Third Anniversary, Calls for Ceasefire and Sanctions Expansion
On 15 April 2026, the European Union formally marked the third anniversary of the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The war involves intense fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and affiliated militias.
The EU underscored that this conflict continues to inflict devastating consequences on civilians and obstructs the aspirations of Sudan's 2018/19 revolution. It strongly rejected any unilateral governance attempts that risk the country's territorial integrity and warned against escalation into wider regional war.
The EU emphasized the urgent need for all conflict parties to engage in negotiations aimed at securing an immediate and lasting ceasefire. It expressed readiness to support credible peace initiatives, including the establishment of an international monitoring mechanism.
The EU called for a halt to external support fueling the conflict and advocated expanding the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction and the United Nations arms embargo, currently limited to Darfur, to encompass the entire Sudan. Humanitarian conditions in Sudan have deteriorated sharply, with civilians targeted by violence, famine conditions persisting, and widespread displacement causing regional instability.
The EU condemned all attacks targeting civilians, healthcare facilities, aid workers, and humanitarian convoys. It demanded all parties guarantee safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, noting that obstruction and attacks on relief personnel may constitute war crimes.
During the Sudan Conference held in Berlin on 15 April 2026, international donors pledged a total of EUR 1.5 billion in aid for Sudan, including EUR 812 million from the EU and its Member States. The conference also saw Sudanese civilian actors unify under a Joint Call to End the War and Advance a Sudanese-Owned Political Process, facilitated by the AU-led Quintet (African Union, United Nations, European Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and League of Arab States).
The EU condemned grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including widespread use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war. It renewed support for the UN Fact-Finding Mission and ICC efforts targeting accountability and stressed the need to end impunity.
The EU pledged to employ diplomatic and restrictive measures, including the potential for additional sanctions targeting the war economy, to press for peace. The statement reiterated firm EU backing for Sudanese democratic governance and praised the ongoing resilience of Sudanese civil society and mutual aid networks amid the conflict.
