Sudan has filed a case against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the Gulf nation of violating the Genocide Convention by allegedly arming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The RSF has been implicated in widespread atrocities in Sudan’s West Darfur region, particularly in the capital, Geneina, where ethnic-based attacks against the Masalit community were documented in 2023.
Sudan claims the UAE’s support for the RSF has enabled these violations, escalating the nearly two-year civil war that has devastated the country.
The UAE has dismissed the case as baseless, calling it a “cynical publicity stunt” aimed at deflecting attention from the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) alleged complicity in ongoing atrocities.
A UAE official stated that the country would seek immediate dismissal of the case, emphasizing its lack of legal or factual foundation.
Despite the UAE’s denial, United Nations experts and U.S. lawmakers have previously found credible evidence of Emirati support for the RSF.
The conflict in West Darfur has seen intense violence, with the RSF and allied Arab militias accused of systematic attacks on the Masalit people.
The ICJ case highlights the deepening international ramifications of Sudan’s civil war, which has drawn scrutiny over external actors’ roles in fueling the crisis. As the legal battle unfolds, the case underscores the complexities of accountability and sovereignty in a conflict that continues to inflict immense suffering on Sudan’s civilian population.
