Sudan accuses UAE of fuelling civil war with arms deliveries | Conflict news

A report by UN experts in January found “credible” evidence that the United Arab Emirates supplied weapons to the RSF paramilitary force.

Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates of arming a paramilitary force in the 14-month civil war, sparking a conflict in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, Sudan’s ambassador to the UN, accused the United Arab Emirates late Tuesday of arming the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023 and are accused of ethnic war crimes.

The Sudanese envoy said Khartoum had evidence of the arms shipments and his government would submit a file on the UAE’s actions to the International Criminal Court.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said he had called on the council to “go one step further and name and denounce the United Arab Emirates.”

Sitting alongside Mohamed at the Security Council’s horseshoe-shaped table, United Arab Emirates Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab called Sudan’s accusations “ridiculous” and “designed only to distract from the serious violations taking place on the ground.”

Last Fortress

“If you want an end to the conflict and the suffering of civilians, why are you not coming to the talks in Jeddah? Why are you blocking aid? What are you waiting for?” asked Abushahab.

In May, the United States and Saudi Arabia attempted to restart ceasefire talks in Jeddah that stalled last year over alleged violations of agreements by both sides, but Sudan refused to participate.

Aid organizations warn that Sudan is on the brink of the world’s worst famine. They say all the warring factions in the country are blocking any aid.

In January, a UN report prepared for the UN Security Council said there was “credible” evidence that the United Arab Emirates had supplied weapons to the RSF “several times a week” through Amdjarass in northern Chad. The United Arab Emirates denied the allegation.

Since long-simmering tensions between Sudanese forces and the RSF escalated into open war last year, more than 14,000 people have been killed, 33,000 injured and 10 million displaced, according to the UN.

The row at the United Nations on Tuesday arose when UN Deputy Secretary-General Martha Pobee warned that atrocities were being committed along ethnic lines in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

She stressed the need to “prevent further atrocities, protect critical infrastructure and alleviate the suffering of civilians” through an immediate ceasefire in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which is under siege by the RSF.

The city of 1.8 million inhabitants is the last army stronghold in the Darfur region, which became synonymous with genocide and war crimes about two decades ago when Arab militias, from which the RSF later emerged, killed up to 300,000 members of black ethnic minorities and displaced millions.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution last week calling on the RSF to end its siege of el-Fasher and withdraw all fighters who threaten the safety of civilians.