Sudan Warns UN Against Engaging With RSF-Linked Humanitarian Body

Sudan has warned UN agencies against engaging with an RSF-linked humanitarian body, calling it an illegitimate parallel authority. It insists all aid coordination must go through official government channels amid the ongoing war with the RSF.

Sudan has summoned the United Nations resident humanitarian coordinator, along with representatives of UN agencies operating in the country, in a strong diplomatic protest over reported contacts with a newly created humanitarian body linked to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The dispute centres on a so-called “National Humanitarian Access Authority” established last month in Nyala, a city in western Sudan under RSF control. The RSF-aligned administration behind the initiative has attempted to formalise its own humanitarian governance structure by instructing international and local aid organisations to register within 30 days and to establish offices in territories it controls within 45 days.
Sudan’s foreign ministry strongly rejected the move, describing it as an illegitimate parallel authority set up by what it called the political arm of the RSF militia. In its statement issued late Wednesday, the ministry said it had summoned UN representatives to formally express the government’s opposition to any engagement with the new structure.
Officials warned that any cooperation with the RSF-backed body—whether through registration, coordination, or signing agreements—would be considered support for “illegitimate parallel entities” and a direct violation of Sudan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national unity. The ministry insisted that humanitarian operations must remain under official government channels only.
The statement further referenced a UN Security Council position issued in August 2025, which opposed the establishment of parallel administrative structures in Sudan. According to Khartoum, such initiatives are viewed internationally as destabilising and a threat not only to Sudan but also to broader regional security.
The foreign ministry urged all international and regional organisations accredited in Sudan to ensure strict adherence to state authority in humanitarian coordination. It also warned that the government would not tolerate any actions it considers to undermine sovereignty or bypass official institutions.
Neither the United Nations nor the RSF had issued an immediate response to the government’s summons or its allegations at the time of reporting.
The controversy forms part of the wider power struggle between Sudan’s national army and the RSF, which erupted into full-scale war in April 2023. The conflict originated from a breakdown in negotiations over the integration of the RSF into the national military structure, a key condition in Sudan’s transition plan following the 2019 ouster of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir.
Since then, the war has devastated Sudan, leading to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced an estimated 13 million, while critical infrastructure, healthcare systems, and food supply chains have collapsed in many areas.
The RSF currently maintains control over most of the Darfur region in western Sudan, with the exception of parts of North Darfur still held by the army. Meanwhile, the Sudanese Armed Forces retain control over large portions of the country, including much of the east, north, and the capital Khartoum, though frontlines remain fluid.
In July, the RSF escalated the political dimension of the conflict by announcing the formation of a parallel government in territories under its control. That move was widely rejected by Sudanese authorities, as well as by international actors including the United Nations Security Council, the African Union, the European Union, and the Arab League, all of which warned against any fragmentation of state authority.
The latest dispute over humanitarian coordination highlights the growing fragmentation of governance in Sudan, where competing authorities are now attempting to administer aid, security, and civilian affairs in parallel systems. Aid agencies have warned that such divisions risk further complicating already limited humanitarian access and worsening conditions for civilians trapped in conflict zones.