Sudan has filed a case against the UAE at the ICJ, alleging complicity in genocide against the Masalit community in West Darfur, facilitated by significant support to the RSF. The ICJ is requested to mandate the UAE to uphold its obligations under the Genocide Convention. The UAE dismisses the claims as unfounded, arguing they serve to distract from the actions of the Sudanese Armed Forces. Recent reports indicate ongoing genocide and human rights abuses in Sudan, prompting calls for legal action against complicit nations.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has announced that Sudan has initiated proceedings against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) concerning allegations of the UAE’s role in genocide against the Masalit people, a black African community in West Darfur. Sudan claims that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and affiliated militias have committed acts including genocide, murder, theft, rape, and human rights violations, facilitated by the UAE’s significant support.
Sudan has urged the ICJ to impose provisional measures, requiring the UAE to uphold its obligations under the Genocide Convention. This entails taking actions necessary to prevent violence against the Masalit, avert bodily or mental harm, and halt the conditions that may lead to partial or total destruction of the group, including measures against restricting births.
In response, the UAE intends to dismiss the case, labeling it as “baseless” and accusing the Sudanese government of using the application to distract from the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) alleged complicity in ongoing atrocities. An unnamed UAE official characterized the application as “nothing more than a cynical publicity stunt.”
In April 2024, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights published what it termed “the first independent investigation” into breaches of the Genocide Convention in Darfur, discovering ongoing acts of genocide against the Masalit and other non-Arab groups by the RSF. Additional complicity was noted involving Sudan and several neighboring states, as well as Russia’s Wagner Group.
The report concluded that all signatories of the Genocide Convention have a legal obligation to prevent and address genocide. While conflict escalated between the SAF and RSF starting in April 2023, Sudan’s issues trace back to the Darfur crisis beginning in 2003. The then-president, Omar al-Bashir, labeled rebel groups as racist and solicited Arab militias to retaliate against civilian African communities, resulting in mass killings, displacement, and systematic abuses.
The United States has classified these actions as genocide and pursued legal action through the International Criminal Court, leading to an arrest warrant for al-Bashir in 2009. Reports indicate that the RSF continues to exploit rape as a weapon of war, generating widespread trauma among women in Sudan, many of whom express suicidal thoughts as an escape from the horrors they face. UNICEF reported 220 cases of child rape since the beginning of 2024, with the youngest victim being only one year old.
Sudan’s allegations against the UAE highlight the continuing humanitarian crisis in Darfur, where acts of genocide have been reported against the Masalit community and other non-Arab groups. The ICJ’s potential involvement could establish significant international accountability. The UAE’s rejection of the claims underscores the complexity of the geopolitical dynamics at play in this ongoing conflict. The overarching responsibility under the Genocide Convention remains a focal point for involved nations in addressing these atrocities.
Original Source: www.moroccoworldnews.com
