Sen. Bernie Sanders is drawing attention to the yearslong conflict in Sudan that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. Sanders says the conflict, which has been labeled a genocide, is being funded by a significant U.S. ally in the Middle East, and he is calling on the U.S. government to intervene to stop that support.
Sanders draws attention to ‘civil war and genocide’ in Sudan
In a statement posted on his Senate website as well as social media, Sanders, I-Vt., highlighted the ongoing conflict in Sudan and called on the U.S. to do more to stop it.
After highlighting recent or ongoing conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 2023 Hamas attack against Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, and the current U.S.-led conflict in Iran, Sanders turned his attention to Sudan.
“And in the midst of all of this — Ukraine, Gaza, Iran — there is another horrific war happening now that is getting relatively little attention: the civil war and genocide in Sudan. Sudan’s two rival military factions, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the country’s national army, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, have been at war since 2023.”
Sanders explained the nature of the conflict and its roots in the genocide that occurred in Sudan’s Darfur region in the early 2000s.
“The RSF descends from the Janjaweed militias that carried out Sudan’s first genocide in Darfur two decades ago, killing as many as 400,000 non-Arab civilians. Today, the RSF is trying to finish what it started,” Sanders wrote. “The State Department has formally determined that the RSF is committing genocide, again, murdering men and boys and systematically raping women and girls because of their ethnicity.”
Sanders’ statement laid out the magnitude of the current crisis.
“Here is the scale of what this war has caused: at least 59,000 people confirmed killed since 2023, with credible estimates running as high as 150,000. Fourteen million people driven from their homes. Thirty million people, two-thirds of Sudan’s population, in need of emergency humanitarian assistance just to survive.”
Calling on Trump to pressure UAE to stop funding conflict
“Let’s be clear. Trump’s good friend and staunch U.S. ally, the United Arab Emirates dictatorship, run by one of the wealthiest families in the world, has financed and enabled this genocide for years,” Sanders said.
The senator’s statement places international responsibility for the genocide with the United Arab Emirates and the ultrawealthy ruling elite of that country, as well as the Trump administration.
“Billions of dollars of looted gold from Sudan is flowing straight into the pockets of Emirati oligarchs,” Sanders said, noting that the UAE connection “has been documented by the United Nations, independent journalists, and international human rights organizations.”
The Vermont senator ultimately called on his colleagues to act.
“Congress must demand that the UAE cease its military support for the RSF and work with the international community and the Sudanese people to bring an end to this horrific conflict and provide the humanitarian aid that is desperately needed there.”
The Biden administration condemned the RSF for committing genocide, and the Trump administration came to the same assessment in 2025.
Trump admitted in November 2025 that he had not paid close attention to the conflict but pledged “to start working on Sudan” after a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Critics have accused Trump of insufficiently focusing on Sudan and alleged that his cuts to USAID and other foreign affairs programs have reduced American capacity to respond to the crisis.
Other Western governments, such as the United Kingdom, have also been criticized for not doing enough to end the genocide in Sudan because of their ties with the UAE.
Sanders and several other Democratic senators have recently targeted the UAE for its role in supporting the genocide, attempting to block U.S. arms sales to the country over the issue.
Sanders’ actions are drawing attention to a conflict that has received relatively little attention in the American press even as it has affected millions of lives in Sudan. With his latest statement, Sanders is stepping up pressure on the UAE and the Trump administration to stop the genocide in Sudan.