Sudan calls for global pressure on UAE over alleged backing of RSF

A senior Sudanese diplomat has urged the international community to put pressure on the UAE over its alleged backing of paramilitary groups, calling its involvement in efforts to end the country's brutal civil war "absurd".

The UAE is part of a coalition of countries seeking to agree on the parameters of future peace talks between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting for control of the country for more than two years.

Sudan's army-backed government has long accused the UAE of supporting the rebel militia, a claim denied by Abu Dhabi.

"The idea that the UAE can be part of any peace process is an absurd idea because it is the main sponsor [of the RSF]," Babikir Elamin, the head of mission at Sudan's London embassy, said at a briefing on Tuesday.

"The UAE is the main reason for prolonging the war, and without putting real pressure on them, we can't expect any peaceful settlement of the crisis in Sudan."

Efforts to revive peace talks have faltered in recent months amid disagreements among Arab states.

A UK-led conference in April ended without consensus, as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE could not agree on the army's role in a post-war administration.

Negotiations reportedly broke down over the wording of a sentence in the draft communique, with Egypt and Saudi Arabia wanting to express support for current state institutions and the UAE pushing for stronger language supporting a civilian-led government.

Efforts by the US last month also fell through after the three countries were again unable to decide on the wording of a joint statement.

Egypt is a strong backer of the Sudanese army, which it views as a stabilising force on its southern border.

Saudi Arabia has officially maintained a neutral stance and worked alongside the US to organise an initial round of peace talks in the early days of the war. However, recent reporting suggests it has intervened on the side of the army, with a European diplomatic memo obtained by The New York Times revealing that it had helped to finance arms purchases.

The UAE's foreign ministry could not be reached for comment.

The UAE is widely thought - including among Western diplomats, UN experts, and rights monitors - to be arming and financing the RSF, which has been accused of numerous atrocities over the course of the war.

Elamin accused the RSF of carrying out a "deliberate and calculated strategy to starve the population" of El-Fasher, a city in Darfur which has been under siege by the militia for more than a year.

The UN is warning of mass starvation among the hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the city.

Earlier this year, the US declared that the militia had committed genocide against minority groups in Darfur, and imposed sanctions on its leader, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.

Khartoum has also accused the UAE of transporting thousands of mercenaries into the country to fight alongside the RSF. The EU believes that as many as 200,000 foreign fighters are now assisting the rebel group, according to The New York Times's reporting.

The role being played by mercenaries made headlines earlier this month when the army reportedly destroyed an Emirati plane transporting Colombian fighters in Darfur. A UAE official rejected the claim as "entirely false", while Colombia's president ordered an investigation into their presence in Sudan and called for legislation banning mercenaries.

Elamin said that mercenaries from Eastern Europe and North Africa are also fighting alongside the paramilitary group. 

Peace efforts were further complicated last month when the RSF declared the formation of a rival government, a move likely to deepen the country's political crisis.

The UN and the African Union both rejected the declaration and warned that the establishment of parallel institutions would further fragment the country.

The 27-month conflict has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. More than 150,000 people have been killed over the course of the war, according to some estimates, and 13 million others have been displaced.