SUDAN told the United Nations’ top court today that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is breaching the genocide convention by arming and funding the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an allegation vigorously contested by the UAE.

The north-east African country is asking the International Court of Justice to issue emergency orders, known as provisional measures, including telling the UAE to do all it can to prevent killings and other crimes targeting the Masalit people during Sudan’s civil war, which began two years ago.

“The genocide against the Masalit is being carried out by the RSF with the support and complicity of the UAE,” acting Justice Minister Muawia Osman said in his opening statements to The Hague-based court.

UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs official Reem Ketait said: “This is not a legitimate legal action; it is a cynical and baseless PR stunt, designed to distract from the Sudanese armed forces’ own appalling record of atrocities.”

Both the RSF and the Sudanese military have been accused of committing abuses during the civil war, which has raged since April 2023.

The UAE, an ally of the United States, has been repeatedly accused of arming the RSF, something it strenuously denies despite evidence to the contrary.