A blanket US arms embargo on Sudan is not the answer
A blanket US arms embargo on Sudan is not the answer newspress_en Tue, 09/01/2026 - 05:56 Politics Three centuries ago, in 1729, author Jonathan Swift used the cold language of arithmetic to suggest that Ireland’s poor sell their children as food for the tables of English gentlemen. The horror he outlined in his book, A Modest Proposal , lay not just in the idea itself but in the tone: a…
A blanket US arms embargo on Sudan is not the answer to ending the country's three-year civil war, according to Massad Boulos, an advisor to US President Donald Trump. During a presentation to the United Nations Security Council on August 24, 2026, Boulos proposed extending the Darfur arms embargo imposed under Resolution 1591 across the entire country, applying it to all parties involved, including the use of drones, and increasing the number of experts on the sanctions committee.
The proposal, however, highlights the asymmetrical nature of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF militia). The embargo, designed to treat both sides equally, fails to address the significant differences in their roles, functions, and outcomes. The SAF operates within a state framework, subject to international law and responsibilities, while the RSF functions as a predatory militia financed through illicit means and responsible for brutal acts against civilians.
Extending the embargo without addressing these fundamental distinctions risks dismantling the sanctions regime entirely, leaving the Sudanese state vulnerable and enabling the RSF's continued violent rule.
Written by urgent.news from Al Majalla English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
