Sudan Seeks China-Led Backing Against UN Rights Inquiry Renewal

Khartoum, August 26, 2026 - Sudan asked a 29-member coalition led by China to help block efforts to renew the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council’s independent fact-finding mission, escalating a diplomatic fight over accountability during the war.

Sudan’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Hassan Hamid Hassan, addressed ambassadors from the Like-Minded Group at the Palais des Nations ahead of an upcoming council session. Britain is expected to lead Western efforts to extend the mission’s work.

Khartoum has refused to cooperate with the investigators or allow them into Sudan. Hassan argued that three other UN human rights mechanisms already operate with the government’s cooperation and said an additional investigative body unfairly equates the Sudanese army with the Rapid Support Forces.

The fact-finding mission is tasked with collecting and analyzing evidence, identifying responsible individuals and entities, and recommending accountability measures. The dispute is likely to remain a marker of Sudan’s alignment with non-Western diplomatic blocs as the government seeks to limit external scrutiny while pursuing support against the RSF.