World Court to hear Sudan genocide case against United Arab Emirates

THE HAGUE -The World Court said on Friday it would hear a case brought by Sudan demanding emergency measures against the United Arab Emirates and accusing the Gulf state of violating obligations under the Genocide Convention by arming paramilitary forces.

Sudan has accused the UAE of arming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which have been fighting the Sudanese army in a two-year-old civil war - a charge the UAE denies but U.N. experts and U.S. lawmakers have found credible.

The Sudanese Armed Forces' actions at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) "are nothing more than a political game and publicity stunt - an attempt to drag a longstanding friend of Africa into the conflict they themselves have instigated and fuelled," a UAE official said.

"Despite this, the UAE remains resolute in its humanitarian commitment towards the people of Sudan, focused on alleviating the humanitarian disaster inflicted by both warring factions."

Sudan's complaint to the Hague-based ICJ - known as the World Court - is in connection with intense ethnic-based attacks by the RSF and allied Arab militias against the non-Arab Masalit tribe in 2023 in West Darfur, documented in detail by Reuters.

Those attacks were determined to be genocide by the United States in January.

Sudan has asked for the court to impose emergency measures to order the Emirates to prevent genocidal acts in Darfur.

The court said it would hear Sudan's request on April 10.

As cases before the ICJ can take years to reach a final conclusion states can ask for emergency measures which are meant to ensure the dispute between the states does not escalate in the meantime.

(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Kirsten Donovan)