French lawmaker to seek terrorist designation for Sudan’s RSF

MAY 11 2026 (KHARTOUM) – The head of a French parliamentary delegation said on Monday he will propose designating the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a terrorist organization following a meeting with Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Christophe Marion, president of the France-Sudan Friendship Group, made the announcement in Khartoum after talks that included Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minawi. Marion said his proposal to the French National Assembly would cite documented atrocities, including extrajudicial killings and sexual violence.

The lawmaker also urged Paris to take a firmer diplomatic line against the United Arab Emirates. He alleged the Gulf state continues to supply weaponry to the paramilitary group, which has been locked in a violent power struggle with the Sudanese army since April 15, 2023.

During the meeting, Burhan briefed the delegation on what he described as the systematic targeting of national infrastructure and civilians by the RSF. Marion’s visit marks the first time a European parliamentary group has entered Sudan since the conflict began, signalling a shift in European diplomatic engagement.

The visit included a tour of a displacement camp in Port Sudan and meetings with displaced people, particularly from Darfur. Marion had previously denounced the international community’s “silence” regarding what he termed a “genocide by bullets.”

Governor Minawi, who accompanied the delegation, stressed that no peace agreement could be reached without legal accountability. He called for the prosecution of those responsible for the displacement and killings that have characterized the conflict.

Marion confirmed that the French and German foreign ministers are expected to visit Sudan in the coming months. The planned trip follows commitments made at the Berlin International Conference to support Sudan’s territorial integrity and an eventual transition to civilian rule.