The International Court of Justice has begun hearings into Sudan’s allegations that the United Arab Emirates violated the Genocide Convention by supporting paramilitary forces accused of atrocities in Darfur.
At the opening session in The Hague on Thursday, Sudan urged the United Nations' top court to impose emergency orders – known as provisional measures – to stop the UAE from backing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that Sudan says is carrying out systematic killings of the Masalit ethnic group.
“The genocide against the Masalit is being carried out by the Rapid Support Force, predominantly Arab from Darfur, with the support and complicity of the United Arab Emirates,” said Sudan’s acting justice minister Muawia Osman.
Call for compensation
Sudan filed the case on 4 March, accusing the UAE of providing “considerable financial, political and military support” to the RSF. The legal complaint lists direct funding, arms deliveries, military gear and the training of mercenaries.
Khartoum wants the court to acknowledge the UAE’s alleged role in the violence and to order the Gulf state to pay reparations. It argues that the atrocities committed in Darfur, particularly in the city of El-Geneina, would not have taken place without “direct support” from the Emirates.
Between 10,000 and 15,000 people were killed in El-Geneina in 2023, according to UN estimates. Most victims were from the Masalit community, and the killings have been blamed on RSF fighters loyal to General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemedti.
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The UAE has dismissed the accusations. In a statement released after Sudan’s presentation, the government said: "Everything that was said in court was circumstantial and would not meet an evidentiary standard. There was no credible evidence presented to support their claims."
As reported by RFI, the UAE also described Sudan’s case as "a cynical communication stunt".
The UAE has long denied arming the RSF, which has been at war with Sudan’s military since April 2023. Both sides have been accused of serious human rights violations during the conflict.
Flights flagged by monitors
Conflict Observatory, a US-funded monitoring group, has identified aircraft it says were used to move UAE weapons to RSF fighters. Those flights reportedly transited through Maréchal Idriss Deby international airport in Amdjarass, eastern Chad.
The UAE has said those flights were intended to support a hospital in the region.
In 2024, UN experts said the allegations of arms transfers via Chad were “credible”. RFI also reported that US lawmakers in January claimed such deliveries were continuing despite diplomatic pressure from Washington.
In the same month, the US Treasury sanctioned Hemedti and seven RSF-linked companies based in the UAE. One was said to be involved in exporting gold suspected of being smuggled from Sudan. The US has since formally declared that the RSF is committing genocide.
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Although both Sudan and the UAE are parties to the 1948 Genocide Convention, the Emirates have entered a reservation rejecting the ICJ’s jurisdiction under that treaty.
“The ICJ has previously said that this kind of reservation is allowed and is a barrier to a case going forward,” Melanie O’Brien, professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, told the Associated Press. “The court is most likely to say the same thing in this case.”
Sudan argues that the UAE’s reservation should not be recognised. RFI’s Florence Morice reported that Khartoum believes allowing a country to avoid its responsibilities in this way would undermine the treaty’s core purpose.
Court rulings not enforceable
ICJ rulings are legally binding but not enforceable. In 2022, the court ordered Russia to halt military operations in Ukraine – a decision that had no impact on the war.
Sudan’s civil war has killed more than 24,000 people and forced more than 14 million – nearly one-third of the population – to flee their homes, according to the UN. Around 3.2 million have crossed into neighbouring countries.
Last month, the Sudanese army said it had recaptured Khartoum’s international airport from RSF control. Both sides are accused of abuses in the ongoing conflict.
