Sudan says UAE expelled, mistreated most Dubai consulate staff

May 17, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that Emirati authorities had expelled most officials from its consulate general in Dubai and mistreated them, including through detention and interrogation.

Ties between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have soured over Khartoum’s accusations that Abu Dhabi has backed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in their war against the Sudanese army, which has lasted for more than two years.

Sudan previously declared the UAE an “aggressor state” and severed diplomatic relations, though it kept the consulate general in Dubai open to provide services for its citizens.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that Emirati authorities had, “in recent days, issued a decision to deport most of the staff of the Sudanese Consulate General in Dubai, without any given reasons.”

It accused the UAE of violating the Vienna Conventions governing diplomatic and consular relations by detaining the expelled diplomats for eight hours at Dubai airport after they had completed all departure procedures.

The ministry’s statement added that the diplomats were subjected to interrogation and accused Emirati authorities of “spying on their phones and laptops,” which caused them to miss their flights and forced them to purchase new tickets.

Sudan’s foreign ministry said the UAE’s actions demonstrated a “profound disregard” for obligations under international law, which compels the UAE to protect diplomats and grant them necessary immunities and privileges.

“This practice embodies the desire to harm Sudanese residents in the UAE, contrary to what its authorities claim, as evidenced by its deportation of officials responsible for consular services, passports, and personal documents for Sudanese nationals, and the violation of their rights and privacy,” the ministry added.