UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Sudanese government accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday of fueling the 14-month conflict in Sudan by providing weapons to a rival paramilitary force. The UAE dismissed the claim as “ludicrous,” terming it “a shameful abuse by one of the warring parties.”
The clash occurred during a U.N. Security Council meeting where Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee warned of atrocities being committed along ethnic lines in Sudan’s western Darfur region. Pobee called for an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher, the North Darfur capital besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to prevent further atrocities and protect civilians.
Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Mohamed accused the RSF of instigating the war with the Sudanese military and attacking civilians, aided by weapons from the UAE. He stated that Sudan has evidence of the UAE supplying arms and plans to submit this evidence to the International Criminal Court.
The UAE’s ambassador, Mohamed Abushahab, countered these allegations, labelling them as false, and questioned why Sudan’s government refuses to return to peace talks. “You should stop grandstanding in international fora such as this and instead take responsibility for ending the conflict you started,” Abushahab told Sudan’s ambassador.
The U.N. has received “credible” evidence of the UAE sending weapons to the RSF from northern Chad several times a week, as reported by U.N. experts monitoring an arms embargo in Darfur. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield reiterated an appeal for all external actors to cease supplying weapons to Sudan, thus preventing the prolongation of the conflict and associated atrocities.
Following the meeting, Sudan’s Mohamed urged the Security Council to “name and shame” the UAE for its actions. Edem Wosornu, operations director for the U.N. humanitarian office, highlighted the dire situation for 800,000 civilians trapped in El Fasher, warning of imminent mass atrocities and widespread violence across Darfur.
Wosornu reported that indiscriminate bombings are affecting millions, sexual violence is rampant, and famine looms. Almost 5 million people face emergency levels of food insecurity, and over 2 million are at high risk of slipping into catastrophic hunger in the coming weeks.
Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, particularly by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias against Central or East African populations. Up to 300,000 people were killed, and 2.7 million were displaced.
Sudan plunged back into conflict in April 2023 when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders erupted in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions, including Darfur. The U.N. reports over 14,000 deaths and 33,000 injuries since the conflict began.
The RSF was formed from Janjaweed fighters by former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled for three decades before being overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019. Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and other crimes in Darfur.
Last Thursday, the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding the RSF immediately halt its siege of El Fasher, the only capital in Darfur it doesn’t control. The council also urged both the paramilitary force and Sudan’s military to seek an immediate cessation of hostilities.