Sudan's charges at ICJ are pure fabrication, misleading: UAE

The United Arab Emirates has labelled Sudan’s allegations at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as “misleading,” and “pure fabrication.”

This came as the ICJ convened on Thursday to hear UAE’s response to Sudan’s application for provisional measures under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Reem Ketait, Deputy Assistant Minister for Political Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed the court, outlining the UAE’s position.

Ketait began by expressing the UAE’s solidarity with the Sudanese people and acknowledging the “two years of devastation and displacement” in Sudan.

She condemned the “unrelenting violence, attacks on civilians, and horrific acts of sexual and gender-based violence,” calling for perpetrators to be held accountable.

However, Ketait asserted that the court proceedings are not about the UAE’s obligations under the Genocide Convention.

She accused Sudan, “one of the warring parties,” of misusing the court to make “false accusations” against the UAE and “deflect from their own responsibility” for the ongoing conflict.

A central point of the UAE’s argument was the lack of jurisdictional basis for the case. Ketait emphasised the UAE’s reservation to Article IX of the Genocide Convention, stating it was a “legitimate exercise of State sovereignty.”

She added that the case filed by Sudan is an attempt to “circumvent state consent,” which is a “bedrock of our international legal order.”

She added that despite the jurisdictional challenge, the UAE participated in the hearings “out of respect for the Court and the principles of international law and justice,” reaffirming the UAE’s “unwavering commitment to its obligations under the Genocide Convention.”

Ketait detailed the UAE’s historical relationship with Sudan, highlighting over $4 billion in investments “to support the Sudanese people, strengthen Sudan’s institutions and progress its transition to a civilian-led government” prior to the April 2023 conflict.

She referenced a military cooperation agreement from July 2020, stating that “official requests for assistance from the UAE came from General Al Burhan himself, in his capacity as President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of the Sudan.”

She stated that the UAE had not provided arms or related material to either warring party since April 2023.

Instead, the UAE has worked to alleviate suffering, providing over $600 million in assistance through the United Nations and other partners.

Ketait reiterated the UAE’s call for an unconditional ceasefire, humanitarian pauses, and accountability for violations of international law by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

WAM