Sudan has alleged that the United Arab Emirates is providing arms to a paramilitary group involved in the country's 14-month civil war, leading to a confrontation at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Sudan's UN ambassador, Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, accused the UAE on Tuesday night of supplying weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This group has been engaged in conflict with Sudan's army since April 2023 and is accused of ethnic war crimes.

The Sudanese representative asserted that Khartoum has proof of the arms supply and that his government plans to present this case to the International Criminal Court.

Following the meeting, he told reporters that he had pressed the council to “name and shame the United Arab Emirates.”

Sitting next to Mohamed at the UNSC table, UAE Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab dismissed Sudan's accusation as “ludicrous,” alleging it was meant to deflect from “serious violations occurring on the ground.”

Final Bastion

“If they genuinely wish to end the conflict and alleviate civilian suffering, why won’t they attend the Jeddah talks? Why are they blocking aid? What are they waiting for?” Abushahab questioned.

In May, the US and Saudi Arabia attempted to revive ceasefire negotiations in Jeddah, which had broken down the previous year over alleged violations by both sides. However, Sudan declined to engage.

Humanitarian organizations have warned that Sudan is on the verge of the world's largest hunger crisis, with aid being obstructed by all factions involved in the war.

In January, a UN report submitted to the UNSC claimed there was “credible” evidence of the UAE supplying arms to the RSF “several times a week” through Amdjarass in northern Chad. The UAE has refuted this claim.

According to the UN, the ongoing conflict, which escalated from long-standing tensions between the Sudanese army and the RSF last year, has resulted in over 14,000 deaths, 33,000 injuries, and 10 million displacements.

During the UN session on Tuesday, Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee cautioned that atrocities are being carried out along ethnic lines in Darfur, located in western Sudan.

She emphasized the necessity of “preventing further atrocities, protecting essential infrastructure, and reducing civilian suffering” through an immediate ceasefire in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, currently under siege by the RSF.

The city, home to 1.8 million people, remains the last stronghold of the Sudanese army in the Darfur region, notorious for genocide and war crimes nearly two decades ago when Arab militias that later constituted the RSF killed up to 300,000 Black ethnic minorities and displaced millions.

Last week, the UNSC passed a resolution demanding that the RSF end its siege of el-Fasher and withdraw all fighters threatening the safety and security of civilians.