Sudanese in US plan class-action suit against UAE over RSF funding

August 29, 2026 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese nationals living in the United States are preparing a class-action lawsuit against the United Arab Emirates, seeking civil damages over the Gulf state’s alleged financial and logistical support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), legal sources told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

The planned litigation aims to hold Abu Dhabi legally liable for aiding and abetting RSF combat operations against the Sudanese armed forces since war broke out in April 2023.

The RSF faces accusations from international rights organizations and legal monitors of committing genocide, widespread sexual violence, unlawful killings, and forced displacement, notably in the Darfur cities of El Geneina and El Fasher.

Plaintiffs plan to ground the claim in legal precedents established under U.S. civil liability frameworks, specifically drawing on a landmark verdict against French lender BNP Paribas.

In October 2025, a U.S. federal jury ordered BNP Paribas to pay more than $20 million in compensatory damages to three Sudanese refugees, finding the bank liable for providing financial processing services that sustained the regime of ousted President Omar al-Bashir during atrocities in Darfur.

That verdict followed the French bank’s 2014 guilty plea and $8.9 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice for violating U.S. economic sanctions against Sudan, Iran, and Cuba. Legal advocates view the civil award as an established precedent for pursuing third parties and state entities that facilitate mass atrocities.