The International Court of Justice threw out Sudan’s case against the United Arab Emirates over alleged complicity in genocide during the brutal Sudanese civil war.
Sudan had taken the UAE to the International Court of Justice, saying its alleged support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was contributing to a genocide – accusations strongly denied by the Emiratis.
Khartoum had urged the ICJ judges to force the UAE to stop its alleged support for the RSF and make “full reparations”, including compensation to victims of the war.
While the ICJ has rejected Sudan’s case, the bloody conflict in Sudan shows no sign of easing.
The ICJ said it “manifestly lacked” jurisdiction to rule on the case and threw it out.
“The violent conflict has a devastating effect, resulting in untold loss of life and suffering, in particular in West Darfur,” the court added.
As the court found that it lacked jurisdiction to go forward with Sudan’s legal action, it did not rule on the fundamental merits of the case.
The court noted that: “Whether or not states have accepted the jurisdiction of the court… they are required to comply with their obligations (to the Genocide Convention).”
Countries also “remain responsible for acts attributable to them which are contrary to their international obligations”.
A UAE official hailed the judges’ ruling.
“This decision is a clear and decisive affirmation of the fact that this case was utterly baseless,” Reem Ketait, Deputy Assistant Minister for Political Affairs at the UAE foreign ministry, said in a statement.
