Key facts
- A coalition of rights groups has asked the ICC to investigate UAE and regional officials for alleged complicity in Sudan's Darfur atrocities.
- The submission cites evidence of arms, mercenaries, equipment, logistical support, and financing provided to warring factions.
- The ICC has jurisdiction over Darfur via a 2005 UN Security Council referral.
- The UAE has repeatedly denied supplying the RSF with weapons or other support.
- Previous investigations have concluded that weapons and materiel reached the RSF via an airbridge through Chad, with the UAE repeatedly named as a suspected supplier.
- The ICC's deputy prosecutor confirmed ongoing investigations into atrocities committed in Darfur since April 2023.
A coalition of human rights organizations has formally requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate high-ranking officials from the United Arab Emirates and neighboring countries for their alleged involvement in atrocity crimes in Sudan's Darfur region. The submission, led by the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (RWCHR), details how foreign actors purportedly enabled atrocities by supplying arms, mercenaries, equipment, logistical support, and financing to both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The filing utilizes Article 15 of the Rome Statute, allowing organizations to submit information to the ICC prosecutor. The court already possesses jurisdiction over Darfur through a 2005 UN Security Council referral. Despite the UAE's repeated denials of supplying the RSF, multiple investigations have indicated the Gulf state's role in funneling weapons and materiel through channels in Chad and other transit hubs. Evidence cited includes supply lines originating from UAE airports and the use of UAE-based companies to hire mercenaries.
Irwin Cotler, a key figure at RWCHR, emphasized the need for accountability beyond the battlefield, stating that perpetrators and their networks of impunity must not act without consequence. The submission draws on confidential sources and investigative findings, including mapping RSF supply routes from UAE airports. The ICC's deputy prosecutor has confirmed ongoing investigations into atrocities in Darfur since April 2023, with a focus on gender-based crimes and crimes against children, and NGOs are hopeful that foreign complicity will also be examined.