The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday dismissed Sudan’s military junta’s case accusing the United Arab Emirates of facilitating genocide in Darfur by supplying weapons to rival groups. The court ruled it lacked jurisdiction over the matter.
Sudan’s military-dominated regime had presented its case to the ICJ in April, claiming that the UAE’s support for armed forces in Darfur violated the Genocide Convention.
However, the UAE argued that the court should dismiss the case, a stance the ICJ upheld on Monday.
The court’s decision, made by a vote of 14-to-two, also rejected Sudanese junta’s request for emergency measures to protect the Masalit tribe.
“The decision is a clear confirmation that this case had no merit,” said Reem Ketait, deputy assistant minister for political affairs at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The UAE has no role in Sudan’s conflict. The crimes committed in Sudan are well-documented, but the UAE is not responsible.”
While Sudan claims the UAE is arming the RSF, which has been embroiled in a civil war with General al-Burhan’s forces (SAF) for the past two years, the UAE denies the accusation.
As signatories of the 1948 Genocide Convention, Sudan and the UAE both brought the case before the ICJ, the U.N.’s highest judicial body for inter-state disputes.
