Yvette Cooper slams world’s failure to understand lethal battle in Sudan
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned horrific scenes in the Darfur region after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the city of el-Fasher om Sudan
Yvette Cooper has said the world has failed to grasp the urgency of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan as reports emerge of mass killings, starvation and rape used as a weapon of war.
The Foreign Secretary condemned horrific scenes in the Darfur region after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the city of el-Fasher. Some 260,000 people – half of whom are children – are trapped in famine-like conditions, cut off from aid and facing deadly violence, the Foreign Office said.
At a summit in Bahrain, Ms Cooper joined foreign ministers from Germany and Jordan in calling for an immediate ceasefire in the civil war that has raged between the RSF and the Sudanese military since 2023.
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Speaking to the Sunday Mirror afterwards, she said world leaders must apply the same energy to ending the conflict as in Gaza. “I think there has been much too little focus on Sudan,” she said. “For too long, the world has not been taking seriously enough the humanitarian crisis. We’re talking about around 8 million people facing famine. That is the equivalent to the population of London, and yet there is still no sense of urgency.
“We’ve got these atrocities taking place as a result of the RSF advances on el-Fasher, and there are still 130,000 children trapped in el-Fasher at a time when there have been executions taking place at a maternity hospital – the most unimaginable things – and sexual violence being used as a weapon of war, rape being used as a weapon of war.
“I think there has to be a renewed focus on getting a ceasefire in Sudan, on getting humanitarian aid and support, but also on protecting civilians and protecting women and girls from this terrible violence.”
Yesterday, Ms Cooper pledged £5million in UK funding for emergency aid, including food and medical supplies, with £2million dedicated to helping survivors of sexual violence.
The Foreign Secretary said progress on protecting women in conflict has gone backwards since the UN passed a resolution 25 years ago. “If you think about the work that Angelina Jolie and William Hague did around rape in conflict, and as a weapon of war, providing support to survivors and strengthening the protection around the rules of war,” she said.
“This is something that successive UK Governments have focused on and yet it feels, in recent years, it feels like the clock has been turned back. So that’s why I want there to be a renewed focus on tackling violence against women and girls at the heart of conflicts, at the heart of international cooperation, and at the heart of our foreign policy.”
