EU High Representative Statement on Three Years of Sudan War

• Council of the EU
• Press release
• 21 April 2026 17:50

Sudan: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union marking three years of war

Three years since the outbreak of war in Sudan, the suffering of the Sudanese people continues unabated. The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their respective affiliated militias is destroying lives and depriving the population of its aspirations of the 2018/19 revolution.

The European Union reiterates its commitment to Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and strongly rejects any unilateral attempt to establish parallel governance that could risk the partition of the country. Preventing the conflict from escalating into a full-scale regional war remains also paramount.

The Sudan Conference in Berlin held on 15 April 2026 demonstrated the international community’s determination to exert pressure on the belligerents to end the conflict. Recalling the October 2025 Council Conclusions on Sudan, the European Union renews its call on all actors to engage in negotiations towards an immediate and lasting ceasefire. The EU stands ready to back any credible, unified peace initiative, including options to support an international monitoring mechanism. External actors must stop fuelling the war. In this regard, the EU advocates for expanding to the whole country the mandates of the ICC and the UN arms embargo, which are today limited to Darfur.

Sudan’s humanitarian catastrophe is deepening. civilians are targeted, famine conditions persist, and displacement continues to destabilise communities and the region. Attacks on civilians, healthcare, aid workers, humanitarian convoys and civilian infrastructure must stop. All parties must guarantee unimpeded, safe and sustained humanitarian access across Sudan; obstruction and attacks on relief efforts and personnel are unacceptable and may constitute war crimes. The EU remains firmly committed to supporting the humanitarian response to the population’s needs and will continue pursuing its work on the protection of critical infrastructure. At the Sudan Conference in Berlin, international donors pledged €1,5 billion in aid, including €812 million from the EU and its Member States.

Grave violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law continue. Impunity must end. Systematic conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence continues to destroy both individuals and communities on a horrifying scale, with rape being used as a weapon of war. The EU supports the work of the UN Fact-Finding Mission, the ICC and robust accountability for all perpetrators. The EU will use all tools available – including diplomacy and restrictive measures – to press for peace, including examining additional sanctions aimed at the war economy.

The European Union reaffirms its support for the Sudanese people’s aspirations for democratic governance. At the Sudan Conference in Berlin, civilian actors from Sudan met at the invitation of the AU-led Quintet (African Union, United Nations, European Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, League of Arab States) and agreed on a Joint Call to End the War and Advance a Sudanese-Owned Political Process. Only an independent and representative civilian process can restore legitimacy of the Sudanese state.

The resilience and courage of the Sudanese people, notably the Emergency Response Rooms and other mutual aid groups, remain a source of hope and deserve our utmost respect. It is long overdue to bring this devastating conflict to an end.

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Topics
- Foreign affairs
- Sub-Saharan Africa

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