THE HAGUE — A coalition of international human rights and legal organizations has submitted a request to the International Criminal Court (ICC) calling for an investigation into senior officials from several countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ethiopia, over their alleged role in facilitating atrocities committed during Sudan’s devastating conflict.
According to reports by Middle East Eye, the submission alleges that foreign officials and intermediaries from the UAE, Ethiopia, Libya, Chad, Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda may have provided political, financial, logistical, or military support that enabled the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to carry out serious violations of international humanitarian law, particularly in Sudan’s western Darfur region.
The filing argues that external actors may bear criminal responsibility if evidence shows they knowingly assisted or contributed to war crimes, crimes against humanity, or acts of ethnic persecution committed during the conflict.
Sudan has been engulfed in war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti. The conflict has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, displacing millions of people and leaving large parts of the country devastated.
Human rights organizations, United Nations investigators, and independent monitoring groups have documented widespread abuses in Darfur, including mass killings, sexual violence, forced displacement, torture, and attacks targeting specific ethnic communities. Several reports have accused RSF fighters and allied militias of carrying out systematic attacks against civilians.
The coalition’s submission reportedly focuses not only on direct perpetrators within Sudan but also on individuals and networks outside the country who may have played a role in supplying weapons, facilitating military operations, financing armed groups, or enabling the transfer of resources used in the conflict.
The ICC has already opened investigations into alleged crimes committed in Darfur and has repeatedly expressed concern over the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the region. Prosecutors have said evidence continues to emerge of serious violations that may fall under the court’s jurisdiction.
Neither the UAE nor the governments of the other countries mentioned in the submission have been convicted of wrongdoing, and any investigation would require prosecutors to assess the evidence before determining whether criminal charges are warranted. The allegations remain subject to legal review and have not been tested in court.
The latest filing reflects growing international pressure for accountability as the Sudan conflict enters its fourth year, with humanitarian agencies warning that millions remain at risk from violence, hunger, and displacement across the country.
If the ICC proceeds with the request, investigators could examine whether foreign officials, intermediaries, and networks operating beyond Sudan’s borders played a role in enabling crimes allegedly committed during the conflict.
