Sudan has filed an urgent case against the United Arab Emirates at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the Gulf nation of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention by allegedly arming and financing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of atrocities in Darfur. Speaking at The Hague on Thursday, Sudan’s Acting Justice Minister Muawia Osman claimed that the RSF, with support from the UAE, is committing genocide against the Masalit ethnic group in West Darfur. Sudan requested provisional measures from the ICJ to compel the UAE to halt its alleged support and take all possible steps to prevent further violence.
“The genocide against the Masalit is being perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces, composed mainly of Darfur Arabs, with the support and complicity of the United Arab Emirates,” Osman told the court. The UAE rejected the accusations as “unsubstantiated” and “circumstantial,” asserting that Sudan failed to provide credible evidence. In a formal statement, the Emirati government said the claims did not meet the threshold required under international law.
Sudan and the UAE are both parties to the Genocide Convention, but the UAE has maintained a reservation to Article IX, which allows states to opt out of ICJ jurisdiction over disputes related to the treaty. Legal experts, including Associate Professor Melanie O’Brien from the University of Western Australia, say this could prevent the court from proceeding. “It is very likely the ICJ will determine the reservation is valid, effectively halting the case,” she told the Associated Press.
The complaint comes amid a civil war that erupted in April 2023 between Sudan’s military and the RSF. The conflict, initially centered in Khartoum, has expanded across the country. Both sides have been accused of war crimes and human rights violations. The U.S.-backed Conflict Observatory has documented flights allegedly carrying weapons from the UAE to RSF-controlled areas in Sudan, with cargo transiting through Chad’s Amdjarass Airport. The UAE insists the flights were part of humanitarian missions, including support to local hospitals.
In January 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) and seven UAE-based RSF-linked companies. One of these companies is involved in Sudanese gold exports, which the U.S. believes are linked to illicit financing of the RSF’s war effort. That same month, the U.S. government formally declared RSF atrocities in Darfur as acts of genocide and crimes against humanity. The conflict has had devastating humanitarian consequences. According to the United Nations, over 24,000 people have been killed and more than 14 million displaced, including 3.2 million refugees who have fled to neighboring countries. In recent months, the Sudanese army has made gains, reclaiming strategic areas including Khartoum International Airport, signaling a shift in the battlefield dynamics.
