Daijiworld Media Network - Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, Sep 4: The UAE has denied involvement in Sudan’s ongoing civil war and said it has not supplied weapons or related materiel to any party since the conflict began in April 2023.
The UAE made the statement while responding to the latest report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, established by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
In a statement, the UAE’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organisations in Geneva said the country remained committed to international law and to UN mechanisms investigating serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
The UAE said it had engaged with the fact-finding mission “in a transparent and substantive manner”. It noted that the report welcomed its commitment to compliance with international law and highlighted the country’s continued humanitarian assistance to Sudan.
The report also took note of the UAE’s domestic legal and regulatory frameworks aimed at ensuring impartial investigations and holding private actors accountable for unlawful conduct, according to the statement.
“The UAE reiterates that it is not involved in the civil war in Sudan, nor has it provided arms or any related materiel to any party in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023,” the mission said.
The UAE strongly condemned violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
It also reaffirmed its commitment to obligations under the sanctions regime established by the UN Security Council, including measures imposed on designated individuals and entities.
The UAE called for the existing arms embargo to be extended across the whole of Sudan and urged an end, without exception, to all forms of external military support to the warring parties.
It renewed its call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, an urgent humanitarian truce and a comprehensive political process led by civilians and independent of both warring parties and extremist groups.
The UAE mission further stressed that allegations concerning the conflict should be assessed through an objective, impartial and evidence-based methodology.
It said information should be carefully verified, independently corroborated and assessed against consistent evidentiary standards. The UAE added that it would continue an open and constructive dialogue with the UN fact-finding mission.
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan was established by the UN Human Rights Council in October 2023 to investigate alleged human rights abuses, violations of international humanitarian law and related crimes arising from the conflict.
The conflict erupted on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, along with other warring parties.
In its latest report, the fact-finding mission said Sudan’s government had not cooperated with its investigation despite repeated requests for engagement.