UAE denies involvement in Sudan civil war, responds to independent mission report

The UAE’s Mission to the UN reiterated in a statement on Thursday that it is “not involved in the civil war in Sudan”, hours after the UN’s media arm published a report based on the findings of the International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM).

The UAE mission highlighted the importance of the work of such UN-mandated investigative mechanisms and said that the UAE had “engaged with the FFM in a transparent and substantive manner”.

In its report, the UN body also recognised the oral and written responses provided by the UAE against the allegations.

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The FFM, however, levelled allegations against the UAE regarding its involvement in the Sudanese civil war, to which the nation categorically said:

Condemning the “violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces”, the UAE called, in its statement, for allegations to be handled rigorously.

It said that these allegations “must be assessed carefully and grounded in an objective, impartial and evidence-based methodology, drawing on information that has been carefully verified, independently corroborated and assessed against consistent evidentiary standards”.

Action taken by UAE

The UAE, in its statement, reminded the Fact-Finding Mission of the action it has taken and continues to put in place in line with the UN.

The nation said that it is committed to complying with its obligations under the sanctions regime established by the UN Security Council, including all sanctions measures on designated individuals and entities.

It further reaffirmed the importance of extending the arms embargo to Sudan, and of the end of all forms of external military support to the warring parties, without exception.

In one such case, the UAE, in April this year, concluded its investigation into a Sudanese arms smuggling network and referred the case to the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal (State Security Court) for a final ruling.

UAE Attorney General, Counsellor Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, ordered the referral of 13 defendants and 6 UAE-registered companies on charges of illicit trafficking in military materiel, forgery, and money laundering.

Suspects included Sudanese politicians, former intelligence officers, and businessmen who had been linked to Sudan’s Islamic Movement and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Investigations confirmed that the illegal deals were carried out at the direct request of the armament committee of the Port Sudan Authority, chaired by Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and his deputy Yasser Al Atta, with coordination attributed to Othman Mohammed Al Zubair Mohammed.

The six companies were used as front entities to facilitate and conceal the transactions. The scope of the charges also includes individuals alleged to have played roles in direction and coordination, including Salah Abdallah Mohammed Saleh, known as Salah Gosh, the former Director of Sudan’s National Intelligence Service.

The FFM, in its report, also took note of the domestic legal and regulatory frameworks that ensure impartial investigations and accountability of private actors for unlawful conduct.

Calls for ceasefire

The UAE has repeatedly called for “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire”, and reiterated that call in Thursday’s statement.

It also pressed for an urgent humanitarian truce and a “comprehensive, civilian-led political process independent of both warring parties and extremist groups”.