Britain is officially responsible for the Sudan portfolio at the U.N. Security Council.
LONDON — U.K. MPs are urging the government to step up efforts toward a breakthrough in Sudan, warning that “global attention has drifted away” from the deadly civil war that has been raging since 2023.
The country is now facing escalating violence in what the U.N. has called the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 150,000 dead and 24 million people experiencing acute food shortages.
The British government is under particular pressure to help negotiate a solution as the official “penholder” on Sudan within the U.N. Security Council, while also coming under scrutiny over reports that British military supplies have been found on the battlefield in Sudan.
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U.K. military items have allegedly been used by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group that has been accused of committing genocide in the country and is widely suspected of receiving support from the United Arab Emirates.
British PM Keir Starmer held a phone call on Monday with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates.
Downing Street said they discussed Sudan, but refused to confirm if Starmer had raised the Gulf state’s alleged support for the RSF, which has been at war with the Sudanese army since 2023.
The RSF has been accused of atrocities, including the massacre of civilians during the recent capture of el-Fasher in western Darfur.
The prime minister’s spokesperson would not say whether Starmer had challenged the UAE on allegations it has helped to arm the RSF, but said: “All warring parties should put the protection of human life of civilians at the absolute foremost of their thinking.”
Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum, speaking to POLITICO, have said they fear Sudan is sinking down the list of priorities for many of Britain’s international partners.
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Labour MP David Taylor said: “This forgotten war has cost countless innocent lives. While the U.K. government has shown leadership, global attention has drifted away.”
He added: “The U.K., as the U.N. penholder on Sudan, has a moral duty to redouble its diplomatic efforts and push for a lasting resolution. We must also act urgently to stem the flow of weapons fueling this conflict, every weapon smuggled in means more lives lost.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to raise the subject with her U.S. counterpart, Marco Rubio, when the pair meet in Canada at the G7 foreign ministers’ summit.
A second Labour MP, granted anonymity to speak candidly, called for Cooper to use her meeting with Rubio to maximum effect, noting that U.S. involvement will be “key to break the impasse.”
Andrew Mitchell, a Tory MP and former international development secretary, said: “It is essential that the government — which has a special responsibility for Sudan — bends every diplomatic sinew to stop the supply of weapons to both sides and the ethnic cleansing and slaughter of innocent civilians there.”
Monica Harding, international development spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, reissued her party’s call for an arms embargo on the UAE.
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She said there were “serious questions” about whether the U.K. is in breach of its international humanitarian legal obligations by continuing to provide weapons to the UAE, and “it’s damning that the prime minister can’t say if he made any mention of this to the president of the UAE.”
“No. 10 must clarify if Starmer skirted the awful violence in Sudan during his meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and, if he did, explain himself to the British public,” she added.
Last week, the RSF said it had agreed to a proposal from the U.S. for a humanitarian ceasefire. However, Sudan’s military-led government did not respond, and hostilities have continued.
An FCDO spokesperson said: “As the Foreign Secretary said at the Manama Dialogue, the suffering in Sudan must end. We are horrified by reports of the atrocities taking place in Darfur, including mass executions, starvation and sexual violence, and the U.K. remains firmly committed to using every lever at its disposal to help end the war.
“There are no current export licenses for the equipment reported on. As our published data shows, we have previously refused licences to the UAE for the risk of diversion.”
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister Hamish Falconer also told MPs last week: “The U.K. is providing no arms that are of use in the conflict.”