ICJ Takes On SHOCKING New Genocide Case!

Right, so an all new case remanence of the one South Africa has brought against Israel is now also before the International Court of Justice and given the severity, but also how little it has been spoken about, especially in light of atrocities in Gaza and the wider Middle East which go too often underreported, but even that has gained far more coverage than this latest legal case is concerned with.
The case before the ICJ now concerns the matter of the ongoing atrocities being committed in Sudan, a conflict that has also been raging since 2023, though predates Israel’s egregious actions in Gaza by several months.
While the two sides of this conflict are both Sudanese elements, one side is apparently getting some backing from a certain Middle Eastern nation and for once it isn’t Israel we’re talking about here, but actually the United Arab Emirates, a nation that so often positions itself as neutral, as a moderator and a stabilising element in regional conflict, yet now they stand accused of aiding and abetting in acts of genocide against the Sudanese ethnic minority Masalit population. As you can imagine they aren’t happy about it, but using one of Israel’s well work excuses in their ICJ case isn’t the win the UAE might think it is either.
Right, so the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which you have probably not heard much about, but given it came up briefly in a video I made the other day I thought I’d give it some coverage, especially in light of a not dissimilar turn of events there as we’ve seen with regards to Israel as well, the case of genocide brought against them by South Africa by the ICJ still ongoing as we know. Well conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces, the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces, the (RSF. The Sudanese Armed Forces are as you would rightly imagine to be the Sudanese Army, the nations armed forces, the Rapid Support Forces were once on the side of the government too, they appeared in 2013, built out of the local Janjaweed militias, the Janjaweed being nomadic Arabs from the Sahel region that spans northern Africa not dissimilar to what we’re seeing in pockets across the Middle East, a support force, clue is in the name. But in April 2023 they went rogue, mobilised their forces in certain cities, the most notable being Darfur, turned on the government forces and the SAF and have declared a new government overseeing the territory they have seized, the so-called Government of Peace and Unity, though the crimes they are accused of and that the UAE are accused of supporting are anything but. The situation in Sudan has descended into one of the most devastating humanitarian crises of the 21st century. Amidst the chaos, allegations of genocide have emerged, with the Masalit people, a non Arabic, non nomadic black ethnic group in Darfur, bearing the brunt of the violence.
The reason the RSF turned on the SAF and the Sudanese government, leading to the current conflict in Sudan can be traced back to long-standing tensions between the SAF, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, this supporting, paramilitary group commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. The RSF, had grown since 2013 into a powerful force in its own right, rivalling the SAF in size and strength and that rivalry between the two escalated into open warfare in April 2023, following a failed power-sharing agreement and disputes over the integration of the RSF officially into the national army.
This has been a conflict of extreme violence, including widespread atrocities against civilians, especially which has displaced some 10 million people, nearly 2 million have fled Sudan entirely and with tens of thousands dead, everything you’ve heard Israel doing in Gaza, has been done to civilians in Sudan, notably this group, the Masalit at the hands of the RSF. The RSF in particular, has been accused of systematic attacks on ethnic groups in Darfur, including the Masalit, who have been targeted for their perceived opposition to the RSF. These attacks have included mass killings, sexual violence, and the destruction of villages, leading to accusations of genocide. The fighting has also raged across other areas such as the capital Khartoum, North Kordofan and the state of Gezira.
So where does the United Arab Emirates fit into this picture and why have their actions warranted a trip to the Hague then Damo? Well, Sudan have filed a case this month against the UAE at the ICJ, accusing them of complicity in the genocide being perpetrated by the RSF. The case alleges that the UAE has provided financial, logistical, and military support to the RSF, enabling it to carry out its campaign of violence, an Arabic country funding Arabic paramilitaries against non Arabics in Sudan perceived to be against the RSF. In short that’s where we are. According to Sudan’s legal team, the UAE’s actions violate the Genocide Convention, which obligates states to prevent and punish genocide.
The case is based on extensive evidence, including satellite imagery, financial records, and testimonies from survivors. For example, reports have documented the UAE’s provision of weapons, drones, and other military equipment to the RSF, as well as its involvement in gold smuggling operations that fund the group’s activities. The UAE’s support for the RSF has been described as a key factor in the group’s ability to sustain its campaign of violence.
The Masalit, to add a bit of context as to why they are being targeted specifically re an ethnic group primarily located in Darfur and have been among the primary victims of the RSF’s campaign of violence. Historically, the Masalit have faced persecution due to their resistance to Arab dominance in their region. During the Darfur conflict of the early 2000s, they were targeted by those same Janjaweed militias, that became the RSF and the current conflict has seen a resurgence of this violence, with the Masalit once again bearing the brunt of the atrocities.
The UAE’s support for the RSF has had a direct impact on the Masalit. By providing the RSF with the resources it needs to carry out its campaign of violence, the UAE has effectively enabled the genocide. And this is why they have now been dragged to the ICJ by Sudan.
The UAE has vehemently denied the allegations of complicity in genocide, describing Sudan’s case as “baseless” and “politically motivated.” In a statement, the UAE government emphasised its commitment to peace and stability in Sudan and denied any involvement in the conflict. However, the evidence presented by Sudan suggests otherwise, raising serious questions about the UAE’s role in the region.
Coming back to the matter of Israel and Gaza I am minded that the US Ambassador for the UAE expressed support for Donald Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza saying it was sad but unavoidable, or words to that effect and I’ll come back to the US in relation to Sudan in a moment while we’re on the subject of hypocrisy.
Anyway, the UAE’s reaction to the ICJ case has also been marked by attempts to downplay its significance, attempting to use Israel’s old excuse about jurisdiction, which doesn’t exactly scream innocence here. Although the UAE is a signatory of the Genocide Convention, they opted out of Article 9 of the Convention which allows dispute settlement before the ICJ when a state party violates the treaty. Not exactly the actions of a peaceful and neutral state to do, but it also means Sudan’s case against the UAE, unlike South Africa’s case against Israel, is a lot weaker. However some analysts have suggested that the UAE is relying on its diplomatic influence to mitigate the fallout from the case, which is going to highlight this matter and reflect badly on them, as long as attention gets drawn to it. The case has certainly already damaged the UAE’s reputation, particularly in Africa, where it has tried to position itself as credible influence in regional security and development.
The US, coming back to them and throwing further shade on the UAE’s case, has taken a strong stance against the UAE’s involvement in the Sudanese conflict, blocking arms sales to the country over concerns about its support for the RSF, as this excerpt from Politico explains:
‘Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) has quietly blocked arms sales to the United Arab Emirates since late last year, and plans to make that hold public as he introduces a bill to take action against those fuelling the war in Sudan. The UAE has been widely accused by human rights groups and outside conflict observers of covertly arming and funding a militia accused of genocide and war crimes in Sudan.
Any of the four top lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee can place a hold on arms sales. It’s unclear whether Meeks’ hold has actively blocked any arms transfers to the UAE as of yet.
It’s also unclear whether President Donald Trump would abide by such a hold. Last month, Trump announced a major $7.4 billion arms sale to Israel despite Meeks’ request that the sale be paused until he received further information on it — a break with precedent over congressional reviews of major arms sales.’
So weapons for Israel, none for the UAE, both accused of genocide, US hypocrisy writ large it seems.
The consequences of the conflict in Sudan have been devastating for the country’s people. The violence has displaced millions, creating one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. The targeting of the Masalit and other ethnic groups is leaving entire communities destroyed and countless lives lost. The conflict has also exacerbated existing challenges, including food insecurity, poverty, and disease, some 30 million people are in need of food and medical aid right now, as bad as the situation in Gaza is and how we mustn’t ever play that down, the scale of matters in Sudan, with so many more people affected is on a whole other level.
Yet despite the scale of the atrocities, this conflict has received relatively little attention compared to other crises, such as the war in Ukraine, even less than Gaza. This lack of attention has allowed the violence to continue unchecked, with devastating consequences for the people of Sudan. Ukraine incidentally, are formally opposed to the RSF, but equally so are the likes of Iran, Egypt and the Houthis of Yemen.
The case against the UAE at the ICJ represents another opportunity to hold a powerful state accountable for its role in a genocide. If successful, the case could set an important precedent for the prosecution of states that support or enable atrocities. If not, it shines a light on an inadequacy in the Genocide Convention where states can opt out of the most important bits and that shouldn’t be the case.
Meanwhile, if you’re going to talk in terms of genocidal intent, legislating those you are persecuting, or their land at least out of existence must be near the top of things you can do, but so it is with the case of far right maniac Itamar Ben Gvir and a bill he’s putting forward to the Knesset which could go some way to doing just that, Israel taking a decades long backwards step which would utterly destroy the very notion of the two state solution and abolish Palestinian governance and yet its getting no coverage whatsoever. Well you can find out all about that story in this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch. Please do also hit like, share and subscribe so as to ensure you don’t miss out on all new content dropping daily on this channel as well as helping to support the channel which is very much appreciated holding power to account for ordinary working class people and I will hopefully catch you on the next vid. Cheers folks.