UN Chief Calls for Accountability Over Foreign Support for Sudan War

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for accountability for foreign actors supplying weapons and other military support to the forces fighting in Sudan, warning that outside assistance is helping sustain a war that has produced one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

Guterres made the call on September 16, ahead of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. He said Sudan’s suffering was intolerable and argued that countries whose weapons are used to attack civilians should face accountability.

The remarks have placed the international role in Sudan’s conflict back at the centre of diplomatic discussions as world leaders gather for the General Assembly.

Sudan’s war has entered its fourth year

The conflict began in April 2023 after a power struggle between Sudan’s armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

The fighting has fragmented the country and caused widespread displacement, civilian deaths, hunger and destruction of essential infrastructure.

The United Nations says nearly 14 million people have been forcibly displaced, many of them more than once, while millions face acute food insecurity. The humanitarian situation has deteriorated as fighting continues across several regions.

Guterres has described the crisis as devastating and stressed that responsibility does not rest exclusively with outside actors.

He said the Sudanese parties themselves bear responsibility for the fighting, while also arguing that external support is helping fuel the conflict.

UN says foreign military support is sustaining the fighting

A UN fact-finding mission reported earlier in September that foreign weapons, military technology, fighters and logistical networks are helping sustain the conflict.

The mission said this external support has increased the ability of the warring parties to conduct attacks, including attacks using drones against targets far from the immediate front lines.

The findings are significant because the conflict has increasingly involved advanced weaponry and long-range drone operations.

The UN investigation reported that more than 1,000 people were killed in drone attacks during the first half of 2026, while attacks damaged civilian infrastructure and caused significant civilian casualties.

The findings do not mean that every foreign actor alleged to have provided support has been found legally responsible for individual attacks.

Rather, the UN investigation describes external military assistance as an important factor sustaining the capacity of the combatants.

Guterres calls for accountability

Guterres said countries providing weapons to Sudanese factions should face accountability when those weapons are used extensively against civilians.

His position goes beyond calling for an end to weapons transfers. It raises the question of responsibility for the external networks that make continued military operations possible.

The Secretary-General said the conflict was being fuelled by several countries outside Sudan and referred to analysis by the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts.

The Panel of Experts is mandated to investigate issues including violations of the arms embargo, attacks on civilians, financing of armed groups and other factors affecting stability in Darfur and the wider region.

External involvement is contested

Foreign involvement in Sudan is politically sensitive, and claims about particular supply routes or governments have been disputed.

A September UN investigation identified networks involving countries including the United Arab Emirates, Chad, Libya and Somalia in relation to support for the RSF, while also reporting Colombian contractors involved in sophisticated weapons systems. The countries named in connection with these networks have disputed or denied various allegations.

The investigation also said it was continuing to examine foreign support for the Sudanese Armed Forces.

That distinction is important because both major sides in the conflict have been accused of receiving outside assistance.

The evidence therefore should not be presented as establishing that one external government alone is responsible for the continuation of the war.

The arms embargo is part of the international response

The UN Security Council maintains sanctions measures relating to Sudan, including an arms embargo applying to Darfur.

The Security Council’s Panel of Experts is responsible for monitoring implementation of those measures and investigating violations. Its mandate includes assessing progress toward reducing violations of the arms embargo and examining financing and support for armed groups.

The continued reports of weapons and military equipment entering the conflict raise questions about the effectiveness of existing international controls.

The issue is particularly complicated by the number of regional actors, informal networks and cross-border routes involved in the conflict.

Drone warfare has changed the battlefield

The growing use of drones has become an important feature of the Sudanese conflict.

According to the UN investigation, foreign military technology and expertise have increased the ability of the warring parties to conduct attacks at greater distances.

Drone warfare can also make it more difficult to distinguish between front-line military operations and attacks affecting civilian areas.

The UN fact-finding mission reported attacks damaging civilian infrastructure and causing deaths in areas away from traditional front lines.

The investigation has therefore called attention not only to who is fighting but also to the international networks providing the technology and logistical capacity required to sustain the fighting.

Humanitarian consequences continue to grow

The military dimension has been accompanied by a severe humanitarian emergency.

The UN says millions of people have been displaced and that famine conditions have been confirmed in parts of Darfur and Kordofan.

The crisis has also placed enormous pressure on Sudan’s health and education systems.

A UN human-rights expert previously reported that continued external support to both sides, including weapons flows, had prolonged and intensified the fighting while reducing incentives for compromise.

Humanitarian organisations have also warned that funding shortages are limiting their ability to respond to the growing needs.

Recent UN reporting said the number of Sudanese fleeing into Chad had risen sharply while humanitarian funding remained insufficient.

Diplomacy continues alongside the fighting

International efforts to find a political solution have continued despite the military conflict.

In September, the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Arab League, European Union and United Nations conducted a joint diplomatic mission to Khartoum.

The group, known as the Quintet, said its discussions included Sudanese government officials and civilian political actors.

The mission illustrates the continuing effort to create a political pathway while military operations continue.

Guterres has repeatedly argued that there is no military solution to the conflict and has called for diplomacy, mediation and a political settlement.

Accountability extends beyond Sudan’s borders

The Secretary-General’s remarks broaden the accountability debate.

International investigations traditionally focus heavily on those who directly commit violations. Guterres is arguing that responsibility should also be examined where outside assistance materially enables attacks on civilians.

A similar position was expressed during recent UN Security Council discussions, where officials argued that accountability should extend to actors who continue to provide support that sustains the conflict.

Determining legal responsibility, however, requires evidence concerning individual actors, their knowledge, the nature of the assistance and its connection to specific violations.

A political call for accountability is therefore not itself a legal finding against a particular government or individual.

What could happen next

The issue is likely to remain part of discussions at the UN as governments debate Sudan’s war and the wider international response.

Possible measures include stronger enforcement of existing arms restrictions, investigation of weapons and financing networks, targeted sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

Any such measures would require decisions by relevant governments and international institutions.

At the same time, humanitarian organisations continue to call for safe access to civilians and increased funding for emergency assistance.

Sudan remains one of the world’s major humanitarian crises

As of September 27, 2026, Sudan’s war remains unresolved.

The fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and RSF continues, while external military support has become an increasingly important part of international scrutiny.

Guterres’ call for accountability does not establish legal liability for particular countries. It does, however, put pressure on governments involved in supplying weapons, technology, personnel or logistical assistance to explain their role and comply with international obligations.

For Sudanese civilians, the central issues remain an end to the fighting, protection from attacks, humanitarian access and a credible political process.

The UN’s latest position is that ending the flow of military support alone will not resolve Sudan’s political crisis, but reducing the external resources sustaining the war is an important part of efforts to create conditions for peace.