Sudan rejects UN call for nationwide arms embargo, slams UAE involvement

February 26, 2026 (GENEVA) – Sudan’s Justice Minister Abdallah Doref on Thursday rejected a call from the U.N. human rights chief to expand an arms embargo to the entire country, describing the proposal as an adoption of the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) demands.

Speaking at a human rights dialogue in Geneva, High Commissioner Volker Türk urged compliance with the existing Security Council embargo on Darfur and called for its scope to be extended across all of Sudan.

Doref said the call for a broader embargo was “nothing but an adoption of the demands of the militia and its supporters,” referring to the RSF.

The minister criticized the United Nations for what he described as silence regarding a state violating the current Darfur arms embargo, an apparent reference to the United Arab Emirates.

He reiterated Sudan’s rejection of any attempt to equate the national army with the RSF. He said the army is fulfilling its constitutional duty to defend the country’s sovereignty, while the paramilitary force has committed systematic and widespread abuses against civilians.

Doref added that the Sudanese government remains committed to achieving justice and protecting human rights.

The minister also launched a sharp attack on the UAE representative to the Human Rights Council, who had stated that his country was the second-largest contributor to humanitarian operations in Sudan.

“What is required from the Abu Dhabi authority is well-known and specific,” Doref said. “It is to admit its involvement, immediately stop supplying this militia with weapons, equipment, and mercenaries, and to take responsibility for that.”

Sudan has repeatedly accused the UAE of funnelling advanced weaponry to the RSF through smuggling routes involving eastern Libya, other African nations, and Nyala airport in South Darfur. While Sudan says these claims are backed by strong evidence, Abu Dhabi has consistently denied the allegations.