In July, Sudan took a new step in escalating diplomatic tensions by bidding a case against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), blaming the Gulf country for backing the RSF in Sudan’s ongoing civil war. The Sudanese government, on the other hand, accuses the UAE military from financing and politically backs the RSF, rendering it “complicit in the genocide” against the Masalit in West Darfur.
The flare-up of armed hostilities, which became hot in April 2023, has left Sudan facing a nefarious humanitarian catastrophe, rocking the two warring factions, the RSF and the Sudanese army, with allegations of various atrocities. All of them, however, have particularly targeted the RSF for ill-weaving non-Arab communities in Darfur, subsequently being charged with mass killings, sexual violence, and facilitating forceful movement. The case these Sudanese brought against the UAE to the ICJ avers that this country has directly fueled atrocities by backing up the RSF.
“The United Arab Emirates fuels the rebellion and supports the militia that has committed the crime of genocide in West Darfur,” the submission states, according to a report by AFP. It further demands that the UAE “make full reparation for the injury caused by its internationally wrongful acts, including paying reimbursement to the victims of the war.”
The UAE has vehemently denied the allegations, dismissing the case as a “cynical publicity stunt” and vowing to seek its immediate dismissal. The Emirati government restated its dedication to international law through a public statement while showing certainty that the International Court of Justice will deny Sudan’s contentions.
Multiple human rights organizations along with regional analysts across the world closely follow the current developments in the case. The Masalit ethnic population of Darfur faces severe consequences from the conflict because hundreds of their villages were completely burned down and their thousands of members were murdered or forced to flee. Survivors from the area revealed RSF soldiers engaged in ethnic-based attacks against civilians which concern observers about another Darfur genocide resembling the 2000s tragedy.
By pursuing legal action at the ICJ Sudan demonstrates a critical moment in its ongoing battle because it aims to demand responsibility from the UAE regarding its role in violent incidents. This decision demonstrates growing rifts across regions regarding Sudan’s conflict since Gulf countries including the UAE face allegations of behaving with self-serving foreign policy goals in the African nation.
The ICJ case provides Darfur’s people with the sole available opportunity for accountability along with justice. People doubt that the legal process initiated at ICJ will lead to actual improvements on the ground. Numerous population groups lost their homes in the war while thousands of individuals still require urgent humanitarian help.
With the ICJ poised to hear the case, the situation has brought renewed international attention to the need to address the underlying causes of the conflict, as well as to hold accountable those who have committed atrocities. For now, the residents of Sudan suffer the catastrophic effects of a war that only seems to intensify.
The outcome of the unprecedented case could have wide-ranging repercussions, both in Sudan and the UAE as well as the broader region, where geopolitical rivalries and proxy conflicts long have propelled instability. We see, as the world is witnessing, the million-dollar question will be if justice will prevail or the power game will silence the voice of these victimized souls.
