Sudan accuses UAE of shielding allied RSF militia at international forums
July 5, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s foreign ministry on Saturday accused the United Arab Emirates of using its diplomatic influence to shield the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from international condemnation, calling the group a “terrorist” militia.
Sudan’s government has repeatedly accused the UAE of providing financial and military support to the RSF, with whom the Sudanese army has been at war for over a year. The UAE has previously denied such claims.
In a statement, the foreign ministry said it called on the international community “not to allow the Abu Dhabi regime to use international forums to encourage impunity and protect the terrorism and genocide embodied by the Rapid Support Forces.”
The ministry stated that it had monitored what it termed “desperate moves” by the UAE delegation at the Non-Aligned Movement meetings in New York last week. It said the UAE sought to remove text from a draft statement that expressed solidarity with Sudan and described the RSF as a rebellious entity.
The statement also alleged that the UAE delegation attempted to insert a paragraph referencing a parallel government that the RSF and its political allies are allegedly attempting to form in areas under their control.
The UN Security Council, the African Union, and countries including the United States and Saudi Arabia have warned that forming a parallel government could threaten to splinter Sudan.
The ministry said the UAE’s actions confirm the “organic relationship between the Abu Dhabi regime and the terrorist militia” and were “additional evidence of the UAE’s insistence on its evil interventions in Sudan’s internal affairs.”
The statement referenced a recent New York Times report, which, citing intelligence sources, stated that RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemetti” Dagalo was in direct contact with senior UAE leaders and had been given safe haven in the country.
Sudan’s foreign ministry added that the UAE had made similar efforts to prevent condemnation of the RSF at meetings of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League.
“The Janjaweed militia – the Rapid Support Forces – under the auspices and support of the UAE, still insists on continuing its aggression against the Sudanese people,” the statement said, adding that the group “represents a threat to regional peace and security.”