Sudan severs ties with UAE over alleged support for RSF amid Port Sudan attacks

Sudan has officially severed diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accusing the Gulf nation of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s ongoing civil war, according to a report by the BBC.

As part of the move, Sudan will withdraw its ambassador from the UAE and close all diplomatic missions in the country.

The decision follows a series of drone attacks on Port Sudan that began on Sunday and continued through Wednesday. The strikes targeted an airport and military base under the control of Sudanese government forces. The military has attributed the attacks to the RSF and alleges that the UAE supplied the group with advanced drones used in the assault.

The UAE has firmly denied any involvement, rejecting accusations that it is providing financial, military, or political support to the RSF.

Internationally, both the United States and the United Kingdom have called on the UAE to cease any support for factions involved in Sudan’s conflict.

In a legal setback for Sudan, the International Court of Justice in The Hague dismissed a genocide case filed against the UAE earlier this week. The court ruled it lacked jurisdiction, citing the UAE’s decision to opt out of Article 9 of the Genocide Convention, which bars other states from suing it over genocide allegations.

Beyond Sudan, Algeria has also voiced concerns about the UAE’s actions across Africa. In January 2024, Algeria’s High Security Council denounced “hostile acts by a brotherly Arab state,” a phrase widely interpreted as referring to the UAE, Morocco World News reports. By April, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune openly accused the UAE of fueling unrest in Mali, Libya, and Sudan, stating, “wherever there’s conflict, that state’s money is present.”