At UN, Sudan openly accuses UAE of backing paramilitary forces

Sudan's UN ambassador on Tuesday launched a verbal attack at the United Arab Emirates in the middle of a Security Council meeting, accusing the Gulf state of fomenting conflict in his country, a charge flatly rejected by the Emirati envoy.

Sudan descended into war in April 2023, pitting the regular military under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

For months, the army has accused Abu Dhabi of supporting the RSF. In April, Sudan requested an emergency Security Council meeting on its accusations -- a request that was never fulfilled.

On Tuesday, Sudanese ambassador Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed took advantage of a regularly scheduled meeting on the situation in Sudan to air his grievances.

He said the RSF, "supported with weapons by the Emirates," was "deliberately and systematically targeting the villages and cities."

"The UAE must stay away from Sudan. That is the first requirement that will allow for stability in Sudan -- it must stop its support," he added, calling Abu Dhabi's financial and military support for the RSF the "main reason behind this protracted war."

He called on the council to "speak bravely" and openly condemn the Emirati government.

In a resolution adopted last week calling for an end to the RSF "siege" of El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region, the council called on all UN member states to "refrain from external interference," and urged respect of an arms embargo on Sudan.

In a report published in January, a panel of experts tasked by the council with keeping tabs on sanctions targeting Sudan criticized violations of that embargo, pointing the finger at several countries accused of arming the RSF, including the UAE.

The Emirati envoy to the United Nations, Mohamed Issa Hamad Mohamed Abushahab, rejected his Sudanese colleague's claims, calling them "ludicrous" and accusing him of using the council to plead the army's case.

"We see this as a shameful abuse by one of the warring parties of Sudan of this council, using this platform to spread false allegations against the UAE, to distract from the grave violations that are happening on the ground," he said.