US proposes expanding UN Sudan arms embargo to entire country

The United States has proposed expanding the United Nations arms embargo on Sudan to cover the entire country and explicitly include drones, in a bid to stem the flow of foreign weapons fueling a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. The proposal was presented to the UN Security Council on Monday, August 24, 2026, by Massad Boulos, the senior adviser for Arab and African affairs to the US president.

Boulos stated that more than 12 countries are providing various forms of military support to the warring parties, prolonging the conflict and increasing civilian casualties. The existing embargo, established in 2005, applies only to the Darfur region. The US draft resolution seeks to extend it across all of Sudan, clarify that it covers drones and related technologies, and strengthen the panel of experts monitoring sanctions. "The United States has put forward a strong resolution that provides for four key things, beginning with expanding the arms embargo across the entire territory of Sudan," Boulos told the council.

The conflict, now in its fourth year, erupted in April 2023 from a power struggle between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah Burhan,...