Sudan Readies Lawsuits Against UAE Over RSF Backing in Civil War

Africa · Northern

Key Facts

—ICJ Case. Sudan filed a genocide complaint against the UAE at the International Court of Justice in March 2025, though the court dismissed it on jurisdictional grounds in May 2025.

—Diplomatic Rupture. Khartoum severed diplomatic relations with Abu Dhabi in early May 2025, accusing the Emirates of violating sovereignty by backing the Rapid Support Forces.

—Gold and Arms. UN experts and U.S. intelligence reports have described as credible allegations that the UAE funnelled weapons and drones to the RSF via Chad, while serving as the primary destination for RSF-mined gold.

—U.S. Legal Front. Sudanese officials are preparing lawsuits in American courts, potentially targeting UAE-linked companies and financial networks under statutes covering human rights and sanctions violations.

—Humanitarian Scale. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced roughly 13 million people, creating what the UN calls one of the world’s gravest crises.

Sudan’s military-led government is preparing a wave of Sudan UAE lawsuits in American and international courts, accusing Abu Dhabi of arming the Rapid Support Forces and bankrolling a civil war that has become a proxy battleground for Gulf rivalries, gold, and Red Sea influence.

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The Legal Offensive Takes Shape

On 6 March 2025, Sudan filed a case against the United Arab Emirates at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, alleging violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention. The application accused the UAE of being “complicit in the genocide against the Masalit” community in West Darfur through extensive financial, political and military support to the Rapid Support Forces.

Acting Justice Minister Muawia Osman argued publicly that “the current genocide would not be feasible without the UAE’s complicity, particularly regarding the provision of arms to the RSF.” The ICJ held hearings on jurisdiction and provisional measures from 10 April 2025, but in May 2025 the court dismissed the case, stating it “manifestly lacked jurisdiction” without ruling on the substance of the genocide allegations.

That dismissal has not ended Khartoum’s legal campaign. Sudanese officials and aligned advocacy networks are now preparing filings in U.S. courts, potentially under statutes such as the Alien Tort Statute, targeting companies, financiers and logistics intermediaries that intersect with RSF and UAE-linked activity.

What the Evidence Shows About UAE-RSF Ties

Multiple investigative streams have converged on the claim that the UAE has materially supported the RSF since the war erupted on 15 April 2023. A UN Panel of Experts found in January 2024 that allegations of UAE arms shipments to the RSF via Chad were credible, while U.S. intelligence assessments reported the supply of Chinese-made heavy weapons, artillery and drones through the same corridor.

Amnesty International documented in May 2025 that advanced Chinese weaponry was entering Darfur via the UAE in breach of embargoes. Sudan’s foreign ministry separately claimed it possessed “irrefutable evidence” that mercenaries from Colombia and other African states were recruited and financed by Emirati authorities to fight alongside the RSF.

The UAE government categorically rejects all allegations, insisting there is “no substantiated evidence” of its support for any Sudanese armed group. Abu Dhabi frames its role as humanitarian, pointing to a US$500 million aid pledge announced in February 2026 and its support for ceasefire diplomacy.

Gold, Guns and the Gulf Proxy War

The RSF finances much of its war effort through gold exports from territory it controls, and the UAE is identified as the primary purchaser of that Sudanese gold. Dubai serves as a global hub where Darfur gold is laundered into international markets, providing crucial liquidity and banking access to a paramilitary force under sanctions.

An RSF intelligence officer interviewed by Sky News described the relationship as “financial” and linked directly to gold, noting that the RSF controls areas with large mines while the UAE is a gold trading hub. In early 2025, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on RSF leader Hemedti and several UAE-based firms alleged to facilitate gold sales and arms supplies.

This economic layer transforms Sudan’s war into a compliance problem for global business, as explored in our pillar on Africa: The New Scramble. Gold refiners, commodity traders and banks with exposure to UAE-origin gold face heightened risk of handling conflict minerals or interacting with sanctioned entities.

The Great-Power Chessboard

Sudan’s war sits within a crowded field of external actors that turns the country into a theatre of multi-polar competition. Egypt backs the Sudanese Armed Forces, reflecting long-standing military ties and concern about instability on its southern border, while the UAE has been closer to the RSF, transforming Sudan into a proxy battleground for Gulf rivalries.

Russia, including via the Wagner Group, has reportedly engaged with both sides at various points, seeking mining concessions and access to Red Sea ports. The United States maintains the UAE as a close ally and key partner in Gulf security while simultaneously sanctioning RSF-linked entities and assessing that Abu Dhabi has supplied arms to the paramilitary force.

For Latin American readers, the Colombian mercenary dimension adds an unusual South-South thread. Human Rights Watch traced the role of UAE-linked companies in recruiting and deploying Colombian fighters to RSF-held zones such as El Fasher, creating legal exposure that stretches from Bogotá to the Horn of Africa.

What the Sudan UAE Lawsuits Mean for Business

Even where Khartoum’s legal actions fail in court, they raise the compliance and reputational costs of doing business with actors tied to the RSF and, indirectly, to the UAE. The ICJ dismissal on jurisdictional grounds does not weaken the underlying intelligence and human-rights reporting that links Abu Dhabi to RSF supply chains.

Firms partnering with UAE entities in mining, logistics or security across Africa face heightened ESG scrutiny from investors and regulators. Enhanced due diligence on UAE-origin gold and Sudan-related transactions is becoming a baseline requirement, not a niche concern, as sanctions networks expand and documentation of atrocities grows.

The diplomatic rupture announced in early May 2025, when Sudan’s Security and Defence Council cut ties with the UAE and Defence Minister Yassin Ibrahim accused Abu Dhabi of violating sovereignty, signals that the political environment will remain hostile regardless of courtroom outcomes. Any firm navigating Sudan-related opportunities must now price in legal, reputational and sanctions risk across multiple jurisdictions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Sudan suing the UAE in international courts?

Sudan’s military-led government accuses the UAE of arming, financing and politically backing the Rapid Support Forces, thereby fuelling a civil war and enabling atrocities including alleged genocide against the Masalit community in West Darfur. Khartoum argues that without Emirati complicity, the RSF could not sustain its military campaign, and it is seeking legal remedies through the International Court of Justice and prospective U.S. court filings.

What happened to Sudan’s genocide case against the UAE at the ICJ?

The ICJ dismissed Sudan’s case in May 2025, ruling that it “manifestly lacked jurisdiction” to hear the dispute under the Genocide Convention as Sudan had framed it. The court did not rule on the substance of the genocide allegations, meaning the underlying claims remain legally untested but politically potent.

How does the UAE-RSF connection affect global business and investors?

The UAE is identified as the primary destination for RSF-mined gold, creating compliance risk for refiners, traders and banks handling UAE-origin gold or Sudan-linked transactions. U.S. sanctions on RSF leaders and UAE-based firms, combined with growing documentation of arms flows and atrocities, raise ESG and reputational exposure for any company partnering with implicated entities in mining, logistics or security across Africa.