Sudan warns UN against working with RSF-linked humanitarian agency

Thursday May 7, 2026

FILE PHOTO: Sudan is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. / AP

Sudan has moved to block any formal contact between aid groups and a humanitarian body tied to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), escalating a broader struggle over who controls relief operations in the war-torn country.

The government summoned the United Nations’ resident humanitarian coordinator, along with representatives of accredited UN agencies in Sudan, to caution them against engaging with the so-called National Humanitarian Access Authority, according to officials. The body was set up last month by an RSF-linked administration based in Nyala, in western Sudan, and was presented as a parallel mechanism to oversee humanitarian affairs.

That RSF-affiliated authority ordered foreign and local organizations to register within 30 days and told them to establish offices in areas under RSF control within 45 days.

In a statement issued late Wednesday, the Sudanese foreign ministry said it had called in the UN resident humanitarian coordinator and all UN agency representatives “to present the government’s rejection of the flawed decision issued by the political arm of the rebel RSF militia.”

‘Violation of sovereignty’

The ministry warned that any institutional engagement with the RSF-run body, including registration or the signing of memorandums of understanding, would be treated as “support for illegitimate parallel entities and a clear violation of Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

It added that the unilateral move ran counter to a UN Security Council statement issued in August 2025, which opposed the creation of parallel authorities or structures and described such efforts as “a direct threat to the stability of Sudan and the region.”

The ministry urged international and regional organizations operating in Sudan to instruct their staff to respect the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity, saying it would not accept any actions that undermine state authority.

At the same time, it said Sudan remained committed to working with UN agencies to ensure aid reaches those in need through the state’s official and legitimate channels.

There was no immediate response from the UN or the RSF.

Parallel government

The latest dispute follows the RSF’s announcement in July last year that it had formed a parallel government in the territory it controls, despite opposition from Sudanese authorities, the UN Security Council, the African Union, the European Union and the Arab League.

The RSF controls the five states of Darfur in western Sudan, aside from parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army, meanwhile, holds most of the rest of the country, including the capital, Khartoum.

Sudan has been engulfed in one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies since fighting broke out in April 2023 between the army and the RSF over the future integration of the paramilitary force into the military. The conflict has caused famine, killed tens of thousands of Sudanese and forced 13 million people from their homes.