UN Security Council to discuss Sudan’s complaint of UAE backing RSF
April 28, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – The United Nations Security Council is set to convene on Monday to discuss a formal complaint lodged by Sudan against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), alleging acts of aggression.
Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Al-Harith Idris, told the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) that urgent discussions are necessary to address the UAE’s alleged aggression against Sudan.
The plea entails holding the UAE legally and criminally accountable for alleged support to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity after the outbreak of war against the Sudanese army in April 2023.
In correspondence to the President of the Security Council, the Sudanese envoy rejected the UAE representative’s memorandum dated April 22, 2024, asserting, “The UAE’s backing of the culpable Rapid Support militia, which has instigated conflict against the state and its populace, renders the UAE complicit in all associated crimes and atrocities, thereby incurring international responsibility as per established principles of international law.”
Idris emphasized that the UAE’s actions constitute a blatant breach of the United Nations Charter, the Charter of the League of Arab States, and pertinent UN resolutions concerning the Darfur region, notably Resolution 1591, which mandates an arms embargo on Darfur and other related resolutions.
Several Western governments have also called to cease external support for the group, stopping short of implicating the Abu Dhabi government. Concurrently, members of the U.S. Congress have called upon the UAE to cease support for the paramilitary forces in Sudan.
Despite the UAE’s denial of support for the RSF forces, reports persistently indicate ongoing assistance channelled through Chad, corroborated by findings from United Nations experts and multiple press outlets.
In a noteworthy development, the UAE Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Saturday, for the first time, urging the conflicting parties in Sudan to halt hostilities and resume negotiations while condemning war crimes and civilian rights violations.
International pressure mounts on the UAE to terminate its backing of the paramilitary forces. Media coverage detailing such support has tarnished the UAE’s reputation due to the alleged war crimes perpetrated by the paramilitary forces.
(ST)