Sudan accuses UAE of fuelling genocide, calls for accountability at UK parliamentary roundtable

As Sudan enters the third year of a brutal civil war that has left its statehood hanging by a thread, urgent calls for international accountability set the tone for a roundtable in the UK Parliament yesterday. Hosted by the London-based think tank, the Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS), the event brought together Sudanese officials, political activists and journalists, and placed a sharp focus on what was described as the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) central and destabilising role in Sudan’s ongoing conflict, particularly its support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), widely blamed for carrying out genocidal atrocities in Darfur.

Sudan’s top diplomat in the UK, Ambassador Babikir Elamin, condemned what he described as a “systematic campaign of destruction” orchestrated by foreign actors, referring to the UAE. His warning came amid growing fears that the civil war, fought between Sudan’s internationally recognised transitional government and the RSF, has entered its most dangerous phase yet.  The push by the UAE backed militant group toward Port Sudan, a previously stable stronghold and the current seat of government, was described as a potential turning point in the conflict, threatening to destabilise one of the last secure zones under state control.

“Sudan is facing a systematic campaign of destruction sponsored by foreign actors, primarily the UAE,” said Elamin, calling on the UK government to halt its engagement with those arming RSF militias. The ambassador’s remarks were reinforced by contributions from Sudanese political figures and experts who accused the UAE of not only bankrolling the RSF’s war efforts but also enabling a campaign of mass atrocities, forced displacement and separatist ambitions. There are estimated to be around 11 million displaced people in Sudan as a result of the conflict, with more than nine million internally displaced and over two million having crossed into neighbouring countries, primarily Chad, South Sudan and Egypt.

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🇸🇩 As Sudan’s war enters its third year, on May 12, @CeftusOrg held a timely event in UK Parliament – Committee Room 13, House of Commons:

“Sudan Roundtable: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Path Forward” #Sudan #UKParliament #PeaceForSudan pic.twitter.com/GBDVFtZogZ

— Ceftus (@CeftusOrg) May 12, 2025

Speakers at the roundtable forcefully argued that the RSF’s actions in Darfur amounted to genocide. Ambassador Elamin directly blamed the UAE for enabling this campaign. Last month, Sudan filed a case against the UAE at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of violating the Genocide Convention by supporting paramilitary forces in Darfur. However, last week, the ICJ dismissed the case, ruling that it “manifestly lacked” jurisdiction to proceed under Article 9 of the Genocide Convention. The court did not address the merits of Sudan’s allegations, focusing instead on procedural grounds. Khartoum cut diplomatic ties with Abu Dhabi following the ICJ ruling.

Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied supplying weapons to the RSF and rejects the legitimacy of Sudan’s internationally recognised government.

The atrocities, said experts in the panel, mirror past genocidal campaigns in Sudan’s history carried out by UAE backed militias, with towns and villages wiped out, targeted mass killings of the Masalit ethnic group and widespread sexual violence. These allegations stem from well-documented RSF massacres in West Darfur, particularly in El Geneina, where thousands of civilians were killed in a matter of weeks in mid-2023. Elamin framed the war not as a domestic rebellion but as a foreign-fuelled proxy conflict, with the UAE providing weapons, drones, funds and logistical support through regional corridors.

Elamin noted that the RSF have relied heavily on a transnational network of foreign fighters and mercenaries to sustain their operations. According to Sudanese officials, fighters have been recruited from Chad, Mali, Niger and even Russia, enabling the RSF to maintain military pressure despite losses in the battlefield. This recruitment drive, Elamin argued, has been facilitated by financial and logistical backing from the UAE, which Sudan accuses of fuelling the conflict for its own strategic interests.

The ambassador also pointed to a notable escalation in the RSF’s military capabilities, citing reports of advanced drone attacks on positions held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), particularly after the RSF was driven out of Khartoum in March. The drone strikes targeting infrastructure, communications systems and supply lines, indicate a level of coordination and technology far beyond what the RSF is believed to possess independently.

Critically, many of these attacks have occurred in areas where internally displaced Sudanese civilians were beginning to return, raising concerns among observers and aid agencies about the deliberate targeting of repopulated zones, a move seen by Sudanese authorities as part of a broader strategy to prevent the restoration of government control and civilian life.

Speakers at the roundtable warned that the RSF’s ongoing push toward Port Sudan—one of the last major cities under government control—could mark a dangerous new phase of the conflict. As the de facto capital and a key humanitarian hub, Port Sudan has so far remained relatively stable. However, its encirclement by RSF forces would not only sever vital aid corridors and threaten Red Sea shipping routes but also deliver a severe blow to efforts aimed at maintaining Sudan’s territorial unity. Elamin warned that the RSF’s objective is to topple the transitional government and establish a breakaway regime with foreign backing, further entrenching a militia-led parallel state and deepening the fragmentation of the country.

The panel painted a dire picture of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Sudan. Osman Mirghani, a veteran journalist, warned that Sudan is entering the most dangerous phase of the war, driven by what he identified as five key factors: the RSF’s advance on Port Sudan, the use of suicide drones, civilian-targeted attacks designed to paralyse the state, the exploitation of humanitarian supply routes to smuggle weapons, and the geostrategic implications of conflict erupting near the Red Sea. He cited Amnesty International’s findings that the UAE has supplied Chinese-made arms and drones to the RSF, and argued that the recent escalation in drone attacks on Port Sudan was only possible through direct Emirati military involvement.

Secretary General of the Sudanese Revolutionary Movement in the UK, Dr Hashim A Mukhtar Eisa, focused on the British government’s role, accusing it of deliberately marginalising the Sudanese transitional government in favour of alliances with the UAE. He condemned what he called the UK’s silence in the face of war crimes, including rape, genocide and forced displacement committed by RSF militants—whom he identified as Janjaweed remnants supported by Emirati funding. He criticised the UK’s backing of “a tiny government” while ignoring the broader Sudanese population and warned that British foreign policy is not neutral. British Foreign Secretary “David Lammy is complicit,” he said, calling on the UK government to stop enabling foreign interference and recognise the voice of the Sudanese community in Britain.

Together, the speakers argued that international diplomacy had been manipulated to serve the interests of foreign-sponsored militants, with Emirati drone operators allegedly directing attacks on Port Sudan in real time—an escalation with potentially catastrophic consequences for Sudan’s sovereignty and regional stability.

Elamin concluded his remarks with a direct appeal to the UK and its allies to stop enabling those who are committing crimes against the Sudanese people and begin supporting a peace process that includes Sudan’s legitimate representatives.  He stressed that the collapse of Sudan is not only a humanitarian tragedy, but a strategic crisis for the entire Horn of Africa and Red Sea region. The war, he argued, threatens to create fertile ground for extremist groups, organised crime networks and further regional conflict. “A fragmented Sudan will become a haven for terrorism, extremism, and organised crime,” said Elamin. “We are asking the world to hold those who arm and fund genocide accountable.”

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