The ICJ is set to hear Sudan’s allegations against the UAE for complicity in genocide against the Masalit community in West Darfur. Sudan cites serious human rights violations facilitated through UAE support for the RSF. The UAE has dismissed these claims as baseless. A recent report suggested ongoing genocide against non-Arab groups in Sudan, highlighting the responsibilities of the international community to act.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has received a filing from Sudan accusing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of complicity in genocide against the Masalit, a black African community in West Darfur. The Sudanese government attributed severe human rights abuses, including genocide, murder, and forcible displacement, to the activities of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their affiliates, claiming that the UAE provides significant support to these militias.
In its legal application, Sudan urged the ICJ to impose provisional measures requiring the UAE to adhere to its obligations under the Genocide Convention. This includes actions to protect the Masalit from violence, including killings and forced displacement, as well as measures to prevent conditions that would threaten the group’s existence.
The UAE has responded by seeking the immediate dismissal of Sudan’s allegations, describing them as baseless and a potential tactic to distract attention from the actions of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). An Emirati official labeled the complaint as a publicity stunt intended to deflect blame from Sudan’s government and military.
In April 2024, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights released a report asserting that the RSF and allied militias are committing genocide against the Masalit and other non-Arab groups. The report underscores that various countries, including the UAE and the Wagner Group from Russia, share complicity in these acts, and emphasizes the obligation of all signatories of the Genocide Convention to intervene and prevent genocide.
Sudan has endured violent conflict since the 2003 Darfur crisis, originally triggered by non-Arab groups’ resistance against perceived systemic oppression by the government. Former President Omar al-Bashir’s regime escalated tensions by enlisting Arab militias, leading to widespread atrocities, including mass killings and displacements, recognized by the United States as genocide under international law, leading to criminal proceedings against al-Bashir.
Currently, the RSF continues to employ sexual violence as a deliberate tactic of war, with numerous reports of horrific abuses against women, many of whom are left traumatized and with limited avenues for recourse. UNICEF also reported alarming statistics, citing 220 documented cases of child rape since the beginning of 2024, with victims as young as one year old being affected.
The situation in Sudan highlights a grave humanitarian crisis and raises urgent legal questions surrounding international obligations to prevent genocide. The ICJ’s proceedings against the UAE could have significant implications for accountability regarding human rights abuses. Moreover, the ongoing violence against vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, underscores the desperate need for intervention and full compliance with international law to halt further atrocities in the region.
Original Source: www.moroccoworldnews.com
