Bennet, Van Hollen, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to Use Leverage to Prevent Further Atrocities in Sudan

About About Michael Legislation News Press Releases Social Media Newsletter Archive Services Priorities Top Issues Child Tax Credit Investing in Colorado Contact Map Español Acerca de Michael Escribe a Michael Prioridades Servicios Visitando D.C. Bennet, Van Hollen, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to Use Leverage to Prevent Further Atrocities in Sudan Denver — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and 19 of their Senate Democratic colleagues on a letter pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take action to prevent further atrocities in […] Aug 12, 2026 | Press Releases Denver — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and 19 of their Senate Democratic colleagues on a letter pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take action to prevent further atrocities in Sudan and help bring the war to an end, especially given the Rapid Support Forces’s (RSF) impending siege of the city of El Obeid. “We write with alarm regarding the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) impending siege of the city of El Obeid in Sudan, which threatens a repeat of the mass atrocities and bloodshed that occurred in El Fasher this past October. While we welcome the State Department’s expression of concern about the escalating situation in El Obeid, words are not enough. The United States must use the leverage and influence at our disposal to prevent further atrocities in El Obeid and help bring this brutal war in Sudan to an end,” began the senators. “We have already witnessed what happens when the international community fails to heed warnings of RSF atrocities. The RSF’s siege and devastation of El Fasher bore the ‘hallmarks of genocide’ according to United Nations investigators. […] We remain greatly concerned by this administration’s grave failure to act despite the chorus of alarm bells. […] And now those alarm bells are ringing once again – this time in El Obeid,” wrote the senators. “Now, an estimated 500,000 civilians are at risk in El Obeid […]We urge this administration to take concrete actions to prevent such mass atrocities in El Obeid, including by ceasing certain U.S. arms sales to the UAE and other external actors that are fueling this war. We also request an update on what other actions the administration is taking, beyond just words, to prevent mass atrocities in El Obeid and to help bring this war to an end,” concluded the senators. In addition to Bennet and Van Hollen, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) signed the letter. The text of the letter is available HERE and below. Secretary Rubio: We write with alarm regarding the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) impending siege of the city of El Obeid in Sudan, which threatens a repeat of the mass atrocities and bloodshed that occurred in El Fasher this past October. While we welcome the State Department’s expression of concern about the escalating situation in El Obeid, words are not enough. The United States must use the leverage and influence at our disposal to prevent further atrocities in El Obeid and help bring this brutal war in Sudan to an end. These actions should include ceasing certain U.S. arms sales to external actors that are fueling this war, including the United Arab Emirates, which continues to arm the RSF. We have already witnessed what happens when the international community fails to heed warnings of RSF atrocities. The RSF’s siege and devastation of El Fasher bore the “hallmarks of genocide” according to United Nations investigators. A United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission found that “the Rapid Support Forces steadily squeezed the life out of El-Fasher and surrounding displacement camps, cutting off food, water, medical supplies, and humanitarian assistance, while subjecting the city to recurring shelling and ground assaults. Civilians were increasingly trapped, as escape routes were restricted or closed, and forced to endure conditions of life progressively incompatible with human survival.” This 18-month siege culminated in a 3-day rampage in October 2025, where survivors describe the slaughter of civilians, mass executions, and crimes against humanity. El-Fasher University “became one of the bloodiest execution sites in the city.” According to survivors, over a hundred civilians were gunned down or execut