Headlines and major stories focus on the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the ongoing conflict in Iran, and what appears to be a growing tariff dispute with Canada. There’s another deadly international conflict, however, that the American media has barely covered: the civil war in Sudan. The fighting has been going on for nearly four years and has claimed a reported 59,000 lives – probably an estimate on the low side. Furthermore, secondary consequences include more than 13 million people being displaced and enormous areas of Sudan suffering famine.
Sudan Faces Crisis Conditions
It’s been over a year since Liberty Nation News reported on the disastrous war taking place in Sudan. If anything, conditions for the Sudanese have worsened. Cheap drones are now the weapon of choice. During remarks to the United Nations Security Council, US Senior Advisor to the President for Africa, Arab, and Middle Eastern Affairs Massad Boulos observed: “I want to particularly emphasize how devastating the human toll of the increased use of armed drones has been. It is horrifying to know that armed drones have taken the lives of more than 1,120 Sudanese civilians already in the first half of this year—that is approximately 80 percent of all recorded civilian deaths this year.” The US delegation offered the UN Security Council a resolution that “would expand the arms embargo throughout Sudan. It also would apply ‘to all parties operating in the territory’ and reaffirm that drones and related technologies are part of the arms embargo,” US News and World Report explained.
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However, stopping outside arms providers is complicated. US friends in the region, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), are backing different sides in the conflict. Egypt supports the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the military arm of Sudan’s government. Cairo considers Sudan a functioning state and an Egyptian security risk since the two countries share a border. Egypt is concerned the border could become a refugee problem. According to Modern Diplomacy: “From Cairo, the stakes in Sudan are seen as existential rather than abstract. Egyptian analysts routinely describe the stability of their southern neighbor as a vital national security concern, citing fears of refugee flows, arms smuggling and jihadist safe havens along the porous border. Control of the Nile is an even deeper driver...”
The UAE, on the other hand, is the primary supporter of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). According a The Wall Street Journal October 2025 article: “Separate reports, including from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the State Department’s intelligence bureau, show an increase in the flow of materiel from the UAE to the rebel Rapid Support Forces since the spring, according to US officials familiar with the intelligence.” The intel reports reveal that the arms that are flowing to the RSF are “advanced Chinese-made drones along with small arms, heavy machine guns, vehicles, artillery, mortars and ammunition.” To make things trickier, the UAE in a statement provided to the Associated Press asserted: “We categorically reject any claims of providing any form of support to either warring party.” Furthermore, the UAE maintains it has been among countries at the forefront to attempting to bring about “an immediate ceasefire, protect civilians, and ensure accountability.”
UN Security Council Resolution Unlikely
Passing the US Security Council Resolution will surely make one or both US partners unhappy. The subject may be moot, since it’s not likely that Russia and China would go along with the resolution.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese population is caught in the middle. In an August 24, 2026, briefing to the UN Security Council, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher explained: “More than two-thirds of the people of Sudan are in desperate need of lifesaving support…Further east, renewed fighting in Blue Nile [a state in southeastern Sudan] has displaced thousands in the last two weeks, just as heavy rains batter the region. Blue Nile now hosts more than 370,000 displaced people.”
The extreme conditions the Sudanese people are experiencing calls for the US to be more proactive in finding diplomatic solutions to the crisis. According to a June 26, 2026, Voice of America editorial, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Our number one priority is to get the fighting to stop and the humanitarian aid to flow, because what we’re facing there is a catastrophic humanitarian situation, and it’s only going to get worse. And that can’t happen.” For the people of Sudan Secretary Rubio’s words cannot be turned into actions soon enough. It might help to have this story on the front page above the fold of major newspapers.
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The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
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