ISTANBUL 

The Sudanese government renewed accusations on Wednesday for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of involvement in the current war in the country, on the eve of hearings by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“Sudan has sufficient evidence to condemn the UAE for its major role in fueling the war in Sudan, through its support for the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia," Sudanese diplomat Kamal Bashir told a press conference in Port Sudan in eastern Sudan.

He said Khartoum sticks to its “just cause against the UAE before the ICJ.”

The Hague-based court is set to hold hearings on Thursday following a Sudanese lawsuit against the UAE.

There was no immediate comment from the UAE on the new Sudanese accusation, but the Gulf country has denied any involvement in the war.

In March, Sudan filed a lawsuit at the ICJ accusing the UAE of “complicity” in the war by providing military and financial support to the RSF.

The army and RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 15 million others, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US scholars, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

In recent weeks, the RSF’s control has shrunk rapidly across Sudan’s states, with the army gaining ground.

Since late March, army victories in the capital Khartoum have accelerated, including seizing the presidential palace, ministry headquarters, the airport, and key security and military sites for the first time since the war began two years ago.

Across Sudan’s 17 other states, the RSF now holds only portions of North and West Kordofan, pockets in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, and four of Darfur’s five states in the west. The army, however, controls El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, the region’s fifth state.​​​​​​​