Sudan’s junta-affiliated defence council announced on Tuesday that the country will sever diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, following accusations that Abu Dhabi is supporting the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
The defence council accused the UAE of supplying the RSF with advanced weapons, which allegedly enabled the group to carry out damaging strikes on facilities in Port Sudan since Sunday, marking a significant escalation in the two-year conflict.
The UAE has consistently denied the allegations.
In response, Sudan’s defence council declared the UAE an “aggressor state,” asserting that Sudan “reserves the right to respond to the aggression by every means necessary to preserve the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Sudan’s SAF leadership has long accused the UAE of arming the RSF, a charge the UAE has repeatedly refuted.
On Monday, the International Court of Justice ruled that it could not proceed with Sudan’s case against the UAE, which accused Abu Dhabi of fueling genocide in Darfur by providing weapons to armed groups. The court stated that it lacked jurisdiction over the matter.
