Sudan files lawsuit against UAE at ICJ over genocide support
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According to Sudan's legal filing, the UAE provided financial and military support to the RSF, enabling acts of genocide, mass killings, rape, forced displacement, and other human rights violations targeting the non-Arab Masalit community in West Darfur during 2023.
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Seats of the judges at the International Court of Justice, or World Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Sudan has formally launched a case against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of violating the Genocide Convention by supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass atrocities in West Darfur.
According to Sudan's legal filing, the UAE provided financial and military support to the RSF, enabling acts of genocide, mass killings, rape, forced displacement, and other human rights violations targeting the non-Arab Masalit community in West Darfur during 2023. Sudan said these crimes constitute a genocidal campaign, a classification the United States officially recognized in January 2025.
The lawsuit also calls for provisional measures to prevent further harm to the Masalit population while the case is under review.
PRESS RELEASE: #Sudan institutes proceedings against the #UnitedArabEmirates before the #ICJ and requests the Court to indicate provisional measures.https://t.co/ZA8SFz8qIK pic.twitter.com/gUz2lgwhqm
— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) March 6, 2025
In response, the UAE has rejected Sudan's accusations, calling the case a "cynical publicity stunt" aimed at shifting blame away from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). A UAE official stated that Abu Dhabi will seek an immediate dismissal of the lawsuit, arguing that it lacks legal and factual merit.
Read more: UN warns of Sudan's division as RSF pushes for parallel government
Fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023, following a power struggle over the paramilitary force's integration into the military. The conflict has devastated Sudan, leading to mass displacement, food shortages, and widespread disease.
West Darfur has been one of the worst-affected regions, with survivors reporting targeted ethnic killings and sexual violence against the Masalit people. Sudan argues that these crimes were made possible through direct UAE support to the RSF and allied militias.
Sudan has urged the ICJ to issue an emergency ruling ordering the UAE to immediately halt any support to the RSF. While initial hearings on provisional measures are expected in the coming weeks, a final ruling could take years.
Both Sudan and the UAE are signatories to the 1948 Genocide Convention, making the ICJ a competent legal body to hear the case. The court's rulings are legally binding, but their enforcement depends on international diplomatic pressure.
