UAE denies Sudan’s accusations of ‘complicity in genocide’ at the ICJ

Sudan alleges the UAE is ‘complicit in the genocide on the Masalit’ by supporting the Rapid Support Forces.

The United Arab Emirates has slammed a Sudanese move to file a case against it at the top United Nations court, calling it  “nothing more than a cynical publicity stunt” and saying it would seek the “immediate dismissal” of the case.

Sudan has filed a case at the International Court of Justice, accusing the UAE of breaching the Genocide Convention by giving “direct support” to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), implicating it in genocidal acts allegedly perpetrated by the RSF against the Masalit people of Darfur.

UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “Sudan’s priority should be to cease fire in this absurd and destructive war and address the massive humanitarian catastrophe”, adding that instead the army was pursuing “feeble media maneuvers to justify their rejection of peace and the political path”.

PRESS RELEASE: #Sudan institutes proceedings against the #UnitedArabEmirates before the #ICJ and requests the Court to indicate provisional measures.https://t.co/ZA8SFz8qIK pic.twitter.com/gUz2lgwhqm

— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) March 6, 2025

For nearly two years, the RSF and the Sudanese army have fought a war that has killed tens of thousands and uprooted more than 12 million people. Famine has been declared in parts of the country and is likely to spread.

The fight for Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, led to total state collapse, and conflict has spread across Sudan, including in the sprawling state of Darfur, long riven by inter-tribal conflict over land and resources which security and political elites have historically exacerbated to maintain power and crush rebellions.

There, RSF and allied fighters – mostly from nomadic “Arab” tribes – have targeted the sedentary “non-Arab” Masalit in ferocious confrontations that some observers describe as genocidal.

The RSF denies any involvement in attacks against civilians in Darfur. However, it has recently surrounded and attacked the Zamzam refugee camp near el-Fasher in North Darfur.

In January, the United States accused the RSF of committing genocide in Darfur.

Sudan called on the ICJ, which rules in disputes between countries, to issue provisional measures to force the UAE to pay reparations, among other requests.

It also said the UAE should ensure that “any irregular armed units which may be directed or supported by it and any organizations and persons which may be subject to its control, direction or influence, do not commit any acts” proscribed by the Genocide Convention against the Masalit.

The rulings of the ICJ are legally binding, but the court has no power to enforce them.

For example, it ordered Russia to halt its assault on Ukraine only a few weeks after the invasion and ordered Israel to scale up aid to Gaza after deeming that Palestinians in the enclave were at risk of genocide – both to no avail.