Sudan's civil war has passed three years. The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to demand the paramilitary RSF be designated a terrorist organization. In the same period, ceasefire talks were under way in Khartoum.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution 476-28 with 96 abstentions calling on the EU to designate the Rapid Support Forces a terrorist organization and to sanction those responsible for attacks on civilians in El-Obeid, North Kordofan.
광고 문의 · 300×250In the same period, Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris and African Union envoy to Sudan Mohamed Belaiche held talks in Khartoum on efforts toward peace and stability and on coordinating ceasefire initiatives to end the war.
What the RSF is
The RSF is a paramilitary force that split from Sudan's army and has fought it outright since 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands and driven more than ten million from their homes; the UN has called it among the world's worst humanitarian crises.
El-Obeid is the capital of North Kordofan, a junction linking Darfur to the capital. Reports of civilian attacks there prompted the resolution.
What designation would mean
Designation brings asset freezes, financing cutoffs, and restrictions on contact within member states. But a parliamentary resolution is not binding; actual listing requires a decision by the EU Council.
Skepticism about effect persists. Much of the RSF's funding runs through informal channels in Africa and the Middle East, beyond the reach of European sanctions alone. Others worry that designation signals exclusion from negotiations and could complicate ceasefire mediation.
Sinophone Bridge Times views the vote as record rather than remedy. A margin of 476-28 shows Europe has effectively no disagreement about this war's horror. But what the people actually discussing a ceasefire in Khartoum need is not a vote—it is for someone to cut off where the weapons come from.
