High-ranking Sources: French National Assembly on Sudan Will Impact Sudan Significantly

Paris – Sudanhorizon
High-ranking diplomatic sources told Sudanhorizon that the session held in the French Parliament, l’Assemble Nationale” two days ago regarding the situation in Sudan, addressed by the Governor of Darfur and head of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Minni Arko Minawi, and the movement’s chief negotiator, Ali Traio, and attended by Sudanese political figures and members of civil society, marked a qualitative shift in the position of the French elite and will have far-reaching consequences.
Sources who spoke to Sudanhorizon, closely following the events, added that some French parliamentarians cited the suffering of civilians in Sudan and asked Paris to pressure entities like the UAE to stop arming the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias. They criticized what they called the “international disregard for what is happening in Sudan and for the supporting countries.”
Some parliamentarians expressed surprise at the silence of certain international capitals, particularly in Europe, regarding the violations in Sudan, and pointed out that the support some countries provide to armed groups in the crisis has a negative impact on the continuation of the war.
The sources noted that the majority of those who spoke called on the French government to exert diplomatic pressure on regional and international partners to stop arming the factions involved in the violations.
They also called for more effective policies from France, including radical and clear political and diplomatic pressure, instead of traditional stances. One French parliamentarian directly criticized the UAE’s role in arming and equipping the RSF militia and asked the French government to pressure Abu Dhabi to stop this type of support, which contributes to the continuation of the conflict and the escalation of violence against civilians in Sudan.
Some members of parliament linked the continuation of the war and the delay in any political solutions to the fact that some regional actors are providing weapons and resources to militias such as the Rapid Support Forces. They called on Paris to pressure these actors to stop providing arms support. One MP stressed that French political and diplomatic pressure should include measures leading to a halt in arming armed factions – a point raised in the context of discussing regional countries accused of prolonging the war.
For her part, Dr. Mayada Swar al-Dahab, head of the Sudanese Liberal Democratic Party, who attended the French parliamentary session, considered the session to have “formed a strong platform for highlighting the impact of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan within French political institutions. It demonstrated clear condemnation of the continued violations and explicit criticism of the role of countries supporting terrorist militias. Calls emerged during the session for bolder French and European policies in dealing with the Sudanese crisis.”
Swar al-Dahab added in her interview with Sudanhorizon that the importance of the session lies in the fact that it elevated the level of discussion from humanitarian to political and shed light on external support for the war. When the role of the UAE is raised , the RSF’s violations and the external support for the war within the French Parliament signify that the issue is no longer merely humanitarian, but has become a political and security matter in Europe.
The head of the Liberal Party noted that one of the important points in the French parliamentary session was “reshaping the international narrative regarding the Sudanese war. It is no longer simply an internal war, or a rebellion and militia war against a state, but rather a regional war. When European parliamentarians link the external support for the Rapid Support Forces with the grave violations against civilians, they reinforce the narrative that the war is not isolated from the region and redefine the true nature of the war in Sudan.”

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=11197