The Hague: Sudan files case against UAE over RSF support
The United Arab Emirates has criticized Sudan’s decision to bring a case against it at the highest United Nations court, labeling it as “merely a cynical publicity stunt” and stating that it will pursue the “immediate dismissal” of the case.
Sudan has brought a case before the International Court of Justice, accusing the United Arab Emirates of violating the genocide convention by providing arms and funding to the Rapid Support Forces, a rebel paramilitary group involved in Sudan’s ongoing conflict.
The UAE dismissed the allegations as a publicity stunt and plans to request the case’s dismissal.
According to the court, Sudan’s complaint, submitted on Wednesday, alleges that the Rapid Support Forces and their allied militias have committed acts including “genocide, murder, theft, rape, forced displacement, trespassing, vandalism, and human rights violations” against the Masalit community.
In response, the UAE characterized the filing as a “cynical publicity stunt,” claiming it is intended to shift focus away from the Sudanese Armed Forces’ involvement in the ongoing atrocities affecting the nation and its citizens.
Both the RSF and the Sudanese military have faced accusations of committing abuses during the conflict.
The UAE’s statement emphasized that Sudan’s claims “lack any legal or factual foundation” and are merely an attempt to distract from the severe situation in Sudan.
The UAE intends to seek the prompt dismissal of what it calls a baseless application, in deference to the International Court of Justice’s role as the UN’s primary judicial body.
Sudan contends that the UAE has been “complicit in the genocide against the Masalit” by directing and providing substantial financial, political, and military support to the RSF militia, according to the court.
Sudan has requested the court to implement urgent provisional measures against the UAE, urging it to take all necessary actions to prevent the killings and other crimes targeting the Masalit community.
Both Sudan and the UAE are parties to the 1948 genocide convention.
The conflict in Sudan erupted in mid-April 2023, following escalating tensions between the military and paramilitary forces in Khartoum, which then spread to other areas.
The war has resulted in over 24,000 fatalities and displaced more than 14 million people, approximately 30% of the population, according to the United Nations.
Around 3.2 million Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries.
The case at the international court was announced shortly after the Rapid Support Forces and its allies signed a charter to establish a parallel government, following recent military gains by Sudan’s army against rival factions.
The Conflict Observatory, funded by the U.S. State Department and monitoring the situation in Sudan, has reported identifying aircraft allegedly transporting UAE arms to the RSF.
These flights reportedly passed through Aéroport International Maréchal Idriss Deby in Amdjarass, Chad, which the UAE claims were intended for a local hospital.
In January, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, known as Hemedti, along with seven RSF-affiliated companies in the UAE, including one involved in gold smuggling from Sudan.
This action followed the U.S. designation of the RSF as committing genocide.
The UAE, a U.S. ally and a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, has faced repeated accusations of supplying arms to the RSF, which it has consistently denied, despite contrary evidence.
The UAE has stated its call for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict.
By Dominic Wabwireh
