The foreign ministers of Germany, Jordan and the UK on Saturday jointly called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, describing the humanitarian crisis there as “desperate” and “apocalyptic.” This follows the reports of the capture of El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and a sharp escalation of civilian casualties in the city.
Speaking at the First Plenary Session of Manama Dialogue 2025, UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Yvette Cooper stated:
But while in Gaza there is a prospect of fragile hope, in Sudan right now there is just despair. Just as the combination of leadership and international cooperation has made progress on Gaza, it is currently badly failing to deal with the humanitarian crisis and the devastating conflict in Sudan. Because the reports from Darfur in recent days are truly horrifying. Atrocities, mass executions, starvation and the devastating use of rape as a weapon of war, with women and children bearing the brunt of the largest humanitarian crisis in the 21st century.
Cooper also denounced Russia’s veto of UN Security Council resolutions that aimed to provide humanitarian access to Sudan, stating that the conflict has been neglected for too long. Concern over the global silence over the conflict was echoed by Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi.
The UN Human Rights Office published a report in February that also highlighted that the entrenched impunity has fuelled gross human rights abuses in the Sudan conflict.
Moreover, there are reports of the UAE supplying weapons to the RSF, which have contributed to the alleged genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismissed Sudan’s case against the UAE over its alleged complicity in May, citing a lack of jurisdiction.
Experts also argue that the proliferation of hate speech, deeply entrenched in the historical roots of ethnic and cultural diversity, has also been fueling the conflict in Sudan. Experts cite, for instance, the use of racially offensive language against dark-skinned women.
The joint call comes after UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher urged an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher last week, stating that the situation was deeply alarming.
Sudan, which plunged into conflict in April 2023 due to a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, has faced one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, leading to widespread displacement, famine, casualties, and gender-based violence. UN Human Rights has reported deaths of at least 3,384 civilians in the first half of 2025.
