Egypt Daily News – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced on Thursday that Sudan has filed a lawsuit against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accusing it of arming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and violating its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide due to attacks in West Darfur state.
An Emirati official told Reuters in a statement that the UAE would seek to have the case dismissed immediately, arguing that it lacks “any legal or factual basis.”
The accusations relate to large-scale ethnic attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias against the non-Arab Masalit tribe in West Darfur in 2023. Reuters documented these attacks in detail, and in January, the United States classified them as genocide.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry has not yet responded to a request for comment. However, Reuters has reviewed a copy of Sudan’s submission to the court.
Sudanese officials have repeatedly accused the UAE of supporting the RSF in the nearly two-year-long civil war—allegations that the UAE denies. However, UN experts and U.S. lawmakers have cited evidence supporting the claims.
In its statement, the ICJ said Sudan accused the RSF of committing “genocide, killings, property theft, rape, forced displacement, trespassing, destruction of public property, and human rights violations.”
The Sudanese government stated that “all these acts were committed with and facilitated by direct support from the UAE to the rebel Rapid Support Forces and their affiliated militias.”
The Emirati official dismissed the claims, stating: “The UAE is aware of the recent request submitted by the Sudanese Armed Forces’ representative to the International Court of Justice. It is nothing more than a malicious propaganda ploy aimed at diverting attention from the Sudanese Armed Forces’ well-documented involvement in the widespread atrocities that continue to devastate Sudan and its people.”
The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 over a dispute regarding the integration of forces. The conflict has devastated the country, leading to hunger, disease, and the risk of fragmentation while drawing in various foreign powers.
Ethnic attacks have occurred in multiple areas, but the deadliest were in West Darfur. Survivors told Reuters that Masalit boys were targeted for execution, while girls were subjected to rape in waves of attacks shortly after the war began.
The ICJ, the UN’s highest court for disputes between states and treaty violations, is set to hold a hearing on emergency measures within weeks. However, it could take years for a final ruling on whether genocide occurred in Darfur.
Meanwhile, the RSF and its allied political factions are working to establish a parallel government to the military-backed administration—a move rejected by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
