UN’s highest court declares it lacks jurisdiction in a case regarding UAE support for Sudanese rebel forces.
The highest court of the United Nations has rejected a lawsuit filed by Sudan against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which accused the UAE of violating the UN Genocide Convention by providing arms and financial support to the rebel Rapid Support Forces amid the ongoing civil conflict in Sudan.
On Monday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stated that it “manifestly lacked” the authority to pursue the case further and consequently dismissed it.
Although both Sudan and the UAE are parties to the 1948 Genocide Convention, the UAE has a specific exemption regarding the section of the treaty that grants jurisdiction to the court in The Hague.
In March, Sudan requested provisional measures from the ICJ, including a directive for the UAE to take necessary actions to avert the killing and other crimes against the Masalit community in Darfur.
The UAE characterized the allegations as a public relations maneuver, and during a hearing last month, it asserted that the court lacked jurisdiction in this matter.
On Monday, the court sided with the UAE’s position, denied Sudan’s plea for emergency measures, and ordered the case to be removed from its agenda.
Due to the jurisdictional limitations, “the court is unable to consider the merits of Sudan’s allegations,” according to a summary of the decision.
The UAE celebrated the ruling as a legal triumph.
“This ruling decisively affirms the groundlessness of this case. The court’s determination of its lack of jurisdiction demonstrates that this matter should not have been initiated,” stated Reem Ketait, deputy assistant minister for political affairs at the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The evidence is clear: the UAE has no role in the Sudanese conflict. In fact, the documented atrocities are committed by the conflicting parties themselves.”
Previously, Ketait emphasized that the UAE “is not involved in the war.”
In a 14-to-two vote, the court dismissed Sudan’s plea for emergency measures aimed at protecting the Masalit people from genocidal violence, which has reportedly intensified due to attacks by the RSF.
Sudan plunged into a violent conflict in mid-April 2023, triggered by mounting tensions between its military and competing paramilitary factions, beginning in the capital, Khartoum, before spreading nationwide.
Both the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan’s military have faced charges of human rights violations amid their power struggle.
The UAE, a federation comprising seven emirates on the Arabian Peninsula and an ally of the United States, has consistently denied allegations of arming the RSF, despite existing evidence suggesting otherwise.