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📰 War crimes in Darfur

📰 War crimes in Darfur

and China lifts EU sanctions

Billy Robinson & Ross Crabtree
May 02, 2025

Hello and welcome to Geopolitics Daily,

Today in Brussels, EU member states trigger a fiscal clause to expand defence spending, while China lifts sanctions on European Commission officials. Meanwhile, the Trump administration plans to designate Haitian gangs as foreign terrorist organisations, as armed groups tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince.

Our main story covers the humanitarian collapse unfolding in Darfur, following the RSF’s capture of Zamzam camp. El Fasher remains the last bastion of resistance against the UAE-backed paramilitary.

More details below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇺🇳 🇭🇹 UN paralysed on Haiti: UN officials have issued stark warnings over Haiti’s worsening crisis. Armed gangs are encircling the capital, threatening to topple the transitional government, while a Kenyan-led security mission remains critically underfunded and understaffed. The UN Security Council meeting on Haiti produced little progress, as global powers blamed one another for inaction—highlighted by U.S. funding fatigue and sharp Chinese criticism. Meanwhile, rising gang control, mass displacement, and the spectre of a coup have left Haiti teetering, with its people bearing the brunt of international paralysis.

2️⃣ 🇪🇺 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 Merz and Macron reset Franco-German ties amid economic, security urgency: As Friedrich Merz prepares to assume office on 6 May, expectations are rising that his partnership with Emmanuel Macron will restore momentum to Franco-German cooperation after years of stagnation. Strained by internal divisions in Germany’s outgoing coalition and France’s fragile parliamentary position, the traditional European engine has faltered. Merz’s pro-EU stance and personal commitment to Franco-German relations are seen in Paris as a welcome shift, aligning closely with Macron’s positions on defence, Ukraine, and energy. Still, divergence remains on trade and fiscal issues, and both leaders—pressed by far-right surges at home—must move swiftly to deliver results before electoral clocks run out.

3️⃣ 🇬🇧 🇫🇷 🇸🇦 🇵🇸 UK weighs Palestinian statehood recognition with France and Saudi Arabia: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed discussions with France and Saudi Arabia regarding possible recognition of Palestinian statehood at a June summit focused on reviving the two-state solution. Lammy emphasised the UK seeks meaningful recognition with impact, not symbolism, and expressed concern over Israeli settlement expansion undermining peace prospects. While France hints at recognition, potentially influencing broader diplomatic shifts, Lammy warned such moves must be tied to a viable peace framework. He reiterated that a future solution must include a demilitarisation process akin to Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement.

4️⃣ 🇲🇱 Mali junta-backed national dialogue recommends Goita presidency and party dissolution: A national dialogue convened by Mali’s military regime has recommended naming junta leader Gen. Assimi Goita as president for a renewable five-year term, while also urging the dissolution of political parties and abolishment of the opposition leader role. Held in Bamako with over 400 delegates but boycotted by political parties, the talks were denounced as unrepresentative and unconstitutional. Critics argue Goita’s formal installation without elections violates Mali’s constitution, after elections were repeatedly postponed. Analysts say the move mirrors recent extensions by military regimes in Niger and Burkina Faso, strengthening the Russia-aligned Alliance of Sahel States while sidelining democratic institutions and deepening Mali’s rupture with ECOWAS and Western partners.

5️⃣ 🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Itamar Ben-Gvir orders closure of East Jerusalem’s Fund and Endowment nonprofit: Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has ordered the closure of the Jerusalem Fund and Endowment office in occupied East Jerusalem—a nonprofit supporting Palestinian communities since 2014. The move has been widely condemned as part of an ongoing campaign to marginalise Palestinians and erase their presence in the city. Palestinian officials rejected claims used to justify the shutdown, stating the organisation is non-political and focused solely on humanitarian and charitable work. The closure has prompted accusations of ethnic cleansing and calls on the international community to intervene against what critics describe as a broader Israeli policy of displacement, annexation, and the systematic targeting of national institutions and religious sites.

Major Story

🇸🇩 🇺🇳 ESCALATING VIOLENCE AND HUMANITARIAN COLLAPSE IN DARFUR

The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that renewed violence in and around El Fasher has displaced over 1,100 families between April 27 and 30. The city, the Sudanese army’s last holdout in Darfur, remains under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have launched intensified attacks since May 2024. Prior RSF advances, including the April 14 seizure of Zamzam camp, triggered the flight of 81,000 families, deepening the crisis.

Mounting Casualties and Collapsing Infrastructure

As the RSF continues artillery strikes, health centres in El Fasher have closed due to bombardment or occupation, creating dire shortages in medical supplies. According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, at least 542 civilians have been killed in North Darfur over the past three weeks, with 40 of those deaths occurring during RSF assaults in recent days.

Atrocities and Executions in Omdurman

Beyond Darfur, Türk condemned documented extrajudicial executions in Khartoum State. Verified videos show armed men—allegedly from the RSF—executing at least 30 civilians in Omdurman’s Al-Salah area. RSF field commanders have admitted to these killings, which follow additional reports of mass executions by the Al-Baraa battalion in recent weeks.

A Grim Warning and Urgent Plea

The RSF has signalled imminent large-scale clashes in El Fasher, warning of potential "bloodshed." Türk stressed that deliberate civilian killings constitute war crimes and urged both the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces to halt hostilities. “These horrific repercussions have become a daily reality for millions of Sudanese,” he warned. “It is time—long overdue—to end this war.”

Other News

1️⃣ 🇨🇳 🇪🇺 China lifts sanctions on EU commission members: China’s decision to lift sanctions on Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and its Human Rights Subcommittee marks a significant step toward restoring official dialogue between the EU and Beijing. The move, announced to the European Parliament’s leadership today by President Roberta Metsola, ends restrictions imposed in March 2021 that halted parliamentary engagement. Metsola emphasised that MEPs must operate without fear of reprisal, noting the need for open, principled dialogue despite ongoing tensions in EU-China relations. The European Parliament reaffirmed its commitment to human rights while cautiously reopening channels for engagement with China.

2️⃣ 🇺🇸 🇭🇹 Trump administration to label Haitian gangs as foreign terror organisations: The Trump administration has notified Congress of its intent to designate Haitian gangs Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as foreign terrorist organisations, expanding the U.S. definition of terrorism. The designation, which would criminalise material support and enable sanctions, follows similar measures against Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and comes amid a broader immigration crackdown. Viv Ansanm, a powerful coalition formed in 2023, has seized control of large parts of Port-au-Prince and launched attacks that shut Haiti’s airport and deposed Prime Minister Ariel Henry. With gang violence displacing thousands and driving record hunger, the move signals growing U.S. pressure amid Haiti’s spiralling security crisis.

3️⃣ 🇪🇺 EU states invoke fiscal clause to fund armament proliferation: Over half of EU member states intend to activate an emergency fiscal clause enabling increased defence spending without breaching budgetary rules. Sixteen countries, including Germany, Greece, and the Baltics, have sought flexibility to spend up to 1.5% of GDP annually on military investments for four years. While major economies like France and Italy have opted out, Denmark joined to show political unity. The European Commission has invited governments to finalise decisions by April 30, aiming for coordinated implementation by July, though the deadline remains non-binding.