Sudan Accuses UAE of Genocide Facilitation Against the Masalit Community
Sudan has filed a lawsuit against the UAE at the ICJ, alleging its complicity in genocide against the Masalit community. The Sudanese government holds the RSF responsible for violent acts facilitated by UAE support. The UAE rejects these claims as unfounded. Reports indicate ongoing genocide against non-Arab groups, necessitating immediate action from the international community.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that Sudan has filed a lawsuit against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accusing it of complicity in genocide against the Masalit, a black African community in West Darfur. The Sudanese government attributes numerous serious crimes, including murder, sexual violence, and human rights violations, to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its affiliated militia, claiming that these acts were facilitated by extensive support from the UAE.
Sudan is urging the ICJ to implement provisional measures requiring the UAE to fulfill its obligations under the Genocide Convention. The requested measures involve preventing violence against the Masalit group and ensuring their protection from destruction or forced displacement, among other responsibilities.
The UAE has publicly rejected Sudan’s claims, calling the case “baseless” and suggesting that it is a diversionary tactic by the Sudanese government to deflect responsibility from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). An Emirati official criticized the application as a “cynical publicity stunt” aimed at overshadowing the SAF’s involvement in ongoing atrocities in Sudan.
An independent report by the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, published in April 2024, identified compelling evidence of ongoing acts of genocide against the Masalit and other non-Arab groups committed by the RSF and its allies. This report implicates not only the UAE but also several other nations, including Libya, Chad, and the Central African Republic, alongside Russian involvement through the Wagner Group.
The report emphasizes that all signatories of the Genocide Convention bear a legal obligation to prevent and halt acts of genocide. Despite ongoing violence stemming from the Darfur crisis since 2003, the current conflict escalated in April 2023 with clashes between the SAF and RSF. The tension began when the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement challenged the government’s treatment of non-Arab populations.
Historically, the Sudanese government under Omar al-Bashir responded to uprisings by recruiting Arab militias, leading to widespread violence and devastation, including airstrikes and systematic sexual violence against civilian populations. The United States has recognized these acts as genocide, leading to legal actions against al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court.
Currently, reports highlight the continued use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, with many women facing violent abuse in the presence of their families. This tragedy has pushed some women to contemplate suicide to escape the horrors of rape, while UNICEF reported 220 cases of child rape in Sudan in early 2024, with victims including infants as young as one year old.
In summary, Sudan’s legal action against the UAE at the ICJ highlights serious allegations of genocide and human rights violations against the Masalit community. The UAE has denied such accusations, labeling them a distraction from its own military complicity. Findings from various independent investigations accentuate the urgent need for international accountability in order to halt ongoing atrocities and ensure compliance with the Genocide Convention.
Original Source: www.moroccoworldnews.com
