The Sudanese government accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday of exacerbating the 14-month war in Sudan by supplying weapons to a rival paramilitary force. The UAE dismissed the allegation as “ludicrous,” calling it “a shameful abuse by one of the warring parties.”
This exchange 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 urged an immediate ceasefire in the North Darfur capital, El Fasher, which is besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), “to prevent further atrocities, protect critical infrastructure, and alleviate civilian suffering.”
Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Mohamed accused the RSF of “destructively launching” its war with the Sudanese military and attacking civilians, allegedly with weapons supplied by the UAE. He claimed that Sudan has evidence of the UAE’s involvement and announced plans to submit a file on these actions to the International Criminal Court.
The UAE’s ambassador, Mohamed Abushahab, rejected the allegations as “false” and questioned why Sudan’s government refuses to return to peace talks. Addressing Sudan’s ambassador directly at the Security Council, Abushahab said: “You should stop grandstanding in international fora such as this and instead take responsibility for ending the conflict you started.”
U.N. experts monitoring the arms embargo in Darfur reported “credible” evidence in January that the UAE had sent weapons to the RSF multiple times a week from northern Chad. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield reiterated a U.S. appeal for all “external actors to stop fueling and prolonging this conflict, and enabling these atrocities, by sending weapons to Sudan.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sudan’s Mohamed urged the council to “walk the extra mile by naming and shaming the United Arab Emirates.”
Edem Wosornu, operations director for the U.N. humanitarian office, told the council that the lives of 800,000 civilians trapped in El Fasher “hang in the balance.” She highlighted the risk of mass atrocities and warned that the violence in the encircled city “is just the tip of the iceberg.” Wosornu reported that indiscriminate bombings are affecting millions in Darfur, sexual violence remains rampant, and “famine is imminent.” Nearly 5 million people face emergency levels of food insecurity, with over 2 million in 41 “hunger hotspots” at high risk of catastrophic hunger in the coming weeks.
Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, especially by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias against populations identifying as Central or East African. Up to 300,000 people were killed, and 2.7 million were displaced.
Sudan descended into conflict again in mid-April 2023 when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders erupted in 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 in a popular uprising in 2019. Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and other crimes during the Darfur conflict in the 2000s.
Last Thursday, the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding the RSF immediately halt its siege of El Fasher, the only Darfur capital not under its control. The council also urged both the RSF and Sudan’s military “to seek an immediate cessation of hostilities.”
(AP)
