PARIS – Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi called on France, the European Union and the international community on Monday to designate Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces as a terrorist organization and pursue those accused of financing and arming the group.
Speaking before members of the French parliament and European Union representatives, Minnawi called for measures targeting the RSF’s military, financial and logistical support networks.
He proposed five steps: formally designating the RSF as a terrorist organization under applicable legal standards; halting military, financial and logistical support; investigating those responsible for providing it; freezing assets belonging to companies and financial networks involved in financing RSF operations; and increasing support for international accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court.
Minnawi also called for diplomatic and economic pressure on any state or entity found to have supported atrocities during Sudan’s war.
He referred specifically to allegations of external support involving the United Arab Emirates and called for independent international investigations.
The UAE has repeatedly denied accusations that it provides military support to the RSF.
Minnawi said the demands were aimed at accountability and civilian protection rather than retaliation, arguing that international responses to Sudan would test commitments to human rights and international justice.
He cited atrocities in El Fasher, El Geneina and Zamzam as examples of the violence that has devastated Darfur during the current conflict and over more than two decades of instability in the region.
El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, became a major focus of international concern following its capture by the RSF in October 2025 after a prolonged siege. International investigations have since documented mass killings, sexual violence and other serious abuses associated with the fighting and its aftermath.
Minnawi, whose Sudan Liberation Movement forces fight alongside the Sudanese army against the RSF, said international actors should move beyond expressions of concern toward measures with practical consequences.
He also urged continued support for investigations into alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts that could fall within the jurisdiction of international courts.
“We are not asking merely for sympathy, but for concrete decisions and practical measures that have a real impact on the ground,” Minnawi said.
He urged French lawmakers, European institutions and human rights advocates not to abandon Sudan, saying accountability should extend to crimes committed in El Fasher, El Geneina, Zamzam and other parts of the country.
