The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has recently dismissed Sudan’s case against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which accused the Emirates of exacerbating genocide in Sudan by supplying weapons to paramilitary forces. The court concluded that it lacked the necessary jurisdiction to hear the case.
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In a hearing last month, Sudan presented its arguments to the UN’s highest court, claiming that the UAE was in violation of the Genocide Convention through its support of paramilitary groups in Sudan. However, the UAE countered that the case should be dismissed altogether.
The court ultimately sided with the UAE, rejecting Sudan’s request for emergency measures and removing the case from its docket. The ruling emphasized that, due to the lack of jurisdiction, the court cannot engage with the substance of Sudan’s claims. As the court noted, “it is precluded by its statute from taking any position on the merits of the claims made by Sudan.”
Reem Ketait, the Deputy Assistant Minister for Political Affairs at the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented, “This decision is a clear and decisive affirmation of the fact that this case was utterly baseless. The court’s finding that it is without jurisdiction confirms that this case should never have been brought.” She further remarked, “The facts speak for themselves: the UAE bears no responsibility for the conflict in Sudan. On the contrary, the atrocities committed by the warring parties are well-documented.”
In a vote of 14 to 2, the court rejected Sudan’s plea for emergency measures aimed at preventing genocidal acts against the Masalit tribe, which has been subjected to severe ethnic-based attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias.
Sudan claims that the UAE is providing arms to the RSF in its ongoing conflict with the Sudanese army, which has been raging for two years. Although the UAE denies these accusations, some UN experts and U.S. legislators have found the claims credible, citing evidence from reports by human rights organizations on the supply of weaponry.
Interestingly, the latest report from a UN panel of experts, published in April, did not mention the UAE except in the context of its participation in peace negotiations in Sudan.
The ICJ serves as the UN’s principal judicial body, addressing disputes between states and upholding international treaties. Both Sudan and the UAE are signatories of the 1948 Genocide Convention, underscoring the weight of this matter.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
