Sudan ends relations with UAE

2025-05-08 03:13:31

(MENAFN) Sudan has severed its diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after accusing the Gulf nation of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group currently engaged in a civil war with Sudan’s military. Sudan’s Defense Minister, Yassin Ibrahim, made the announcement on Tuesday, accusing the UAE of violating Sudanese sovereignty by supplying weapons to the RSF, which Khartoum blames for recent drone strikes on Port Sudan and other aggressive actions.

Following an emergency meeting led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Sudanese Security and Defense Council declared the UAE a state of aggression, ordering the withdrawal of the Sudanese embassy and consulate. Sudan had been one of the first nations to establish diplomatic relations with the UAE in 1971, and the two countries had maintained mostly cordial relations, particularly after Sudan’s 2019 political transition post-Omar al-Bashir’s ouster.

The diplomatic break follows a blow for Sudan at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where a genocide case it filed against the UAE was dismissed. Sudan had accused Abu Dhabi of arming and funding the RSF, particularly in the ethnic violence against the Masalit people in West Darfur. The court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction over the case, citing the UAE’s reservation when joining the Genocide Convention in 2005.

The UAE has denied Sudan’s allegations, calling them unfounded, and welcomed the ICJ ruling as proof that the case lacked merit. Since clashes began in April 2023, more than 24,000 people have died in Sudan, and over 14 million have been displaced, with half of the population facing severe hunger, according to the United Nations.

In addition, Sudan’s government accused the RSF of launching a three-day series of attacks on Port Sudan’s critical infrastructure, including the airport and maritime facilities, disrupting air traffic and halting humanitarian efforts in a city that had been largely unaffected by the conflict.

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