The Hague - New York: Europe and the Arabs
The International Court of Justice stated that Sudan has submitted a request to file a lawsuit against the United Arab Emirates before the court in relation to a dispute over "alleged violations by the Emirates of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide" towards the Masalit group in Sudan, particularly in West Darfur.
According to the UN News Bulletin, a copy of which we received on Friday morning,
The court stated in a statement on Thursday that Sudan's request relates to "acts committed" by the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias, including "but not limited to, genocide, murder, theft of property, rape, forced displacement, assault on property of others, destruction of public property and violation of human rights."
According to Sudan, all of these acts were "committed and enabled through the direct support provided to the rebel Rapid Support Forces militia and related militia groups by the United Arab Emirates."
Sudan’s application also relates to “acts adopted, sanctioned, taken and being taken by the Government of the United Arab Emirates in relation to the genocide against the Masalit people in the Republic of Sudan since at least 2023.”
According to the statement, Sudan alleges that the UAE “is complicit in the genocide against the Masalit by directing and providing extensive financial, political and military support to the rebel Rapid Support Forces militia.”
The statement said that the Prosecutor (Sudan) seeks to base the Court’s jurisdiction on Article 36, paragraph 1, of the Court’s Statute and Article IX of the Genocide Convention, to which both Sudan and the UAE are parties.
Sudan requests provisional measures
According to the statement, Sudan requests the Court to indicate the following provisional measures pending a final ruling in the case:
First, “the United Arab Emirates, in accordance with its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, in relation to the Masalit in the Republic of the Sudan, shall take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of this Convention, in particular:

(a) killing members of the group;

(b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; and

(d) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.”

Secondly, “the United Arab Emirates shall, in relation to the members of the Masalit group, ensure that any irregular armed units that may be directed or supported by it and any organizations and persons that may be subject to its control, direction or influence do not commit any of the acts described in point (1) above, or conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, attempts to commit genocide, or complicity in genocide.” The Court stated that pursuant to Article 74 of the Rules of Court, “a request for the indication of provisional measures shall take precedence over all other cases.”