Tensions flared at the UN Security Council on Tuesday as Sudan accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supplying weapons to a rival faction in the country’s brutal 14-month civil war.
Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed accused the UAE of “deliberately and systematically” targeting villages with weapons supplied to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group locked in a power struggle with the Sudanese army. The UN estimates nearly half of Sudan’s population, some 25 million people, require humanitarian assistance due to the conflict, with famine looming and millions displaced.
The UAE vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “ludicrous” distractions from the “grave violations” on the ground. Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab countered by questioning Sudan’s commitment to peace, pointing out their recent rejection of Saudi-led peace talks in Jeddah. He urged Sudan to take responsibility for ending the conflict they “started.”
The accusations come amid reports by UN sanctions monitors suggesting “credible” evidence of UAE military support for the RSF. The Security Council, without naming specific countries, recently passed a resolution urging member states to refrain from actions fueling the conflict and reminding them of their obligations regarding arms embargoes in the Darfur region.
The United States has accused both warring parties of committing war crimes, with the RSF facing additional accusations of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.
