G7 and EU call for halt to attacks on Sudan's El-Obeid and a wider arms embargo

G7 foreign ministers and the European Union's foreign policy chief said in a joint statement Wednesday that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces and allied armed groups must halt all actions that could endanger civilians or lead to further atrocities in the besieged city of El-Obeid.

The statement noted that the monthslong siege has placed an immense strain on the humanitarian situation, severely restricting civilians' access to food, medicine and basic services. The G7 and EU also called on warring parties to open humanitarian corridors into the city.

The group further demanded a broader international arms embargo to limit weapons flowing to armed groups in Sudan. The country's civil war has now lasted more than two years and has displaced millions of people.