Sudan has filed a case against the United Arab Emirates arguing that the Gulf state is complicit in genocide over its alleged support for Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the International Court of Justice announced Thursday.
Khartoum contends the UAE is "complicit in the genocide on the Masalit (community in Sudan) through its direction of and provision of extensive financial, political, and military support for the rebel RSF militia," the ICJ said in a statement.
"The United Arab Emirates fuels the rebellion and supports the militia that has committed the crime of genocide in West Darfur," the Sudan submission to the court said.
The UAE, which has repeatedly denied supporting the RSF, dismissed the case as a "publicity stunt" and said it would try to have it thrown out.
The case "is nothing more than a cynical publicity stunt aimed at diverting attention," a UAE official said in a statement sent to AFP, adding: "The UAE will seek the immediate dismissal of this baseless application."
For nearly two years, the RSF and the regular army in Sudan have fought a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 12 million. Famine has been declared in parts of the country and is likely to spread.
Sudan called on the ICJ, which rules in disputes between countries, to issue emergency orders -- "provisional measures" in the court jargon -- to force the UAE to pay reparations, among other requests.
"The United Arab Emirates must make full reparation for the injury caused (by) its internationally wrongful acts, including paying reimbursement to the victims of the war," Sudan's submission argued.
ICJ rulings are legally binding but the court has no power to enforce them.
For example, it ordered Russia to halt its assault on Ukraine only a few weeks after the invasion -- to no avail.
But Khartoum urged the court to act quickly "to ensure the urgent and fullest possible protection for the Sudanese civilian people who remain at grave and immediate risk of continuing and further acts of genocide."
- 'Ludicrous' -
Sudan's submission accused the RSF of "genocide, murder, theft of property, rape, forcible displacement, trespassing, vandalism of public properties, and violations of human rights."
It added that these acts were "perpetrated and enabled by the direct support given to the rebel RSF militia and related militia groups by the United Arab Emirates."
Sudan charged that the UAE was breaching its obligations under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention "by attempting to commit genocide, conspiring to commit genocide, inciting genocide, complicity in genocide, and failing to prevent and punish genocide."
"The allegations presented by the SAF representative at the ICJ lack any legal or factual basis, representing yet another attempt to distract from this calamitous war," the UAE official said.
In June, Sudan's UN ambassador Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith accused the UAE of fomenting conflict in his country, saying the RSF was being "supported with weapons by the Emirates".
The Emirati envoy to the United Nations, Mohamed Issa Hamad Mohamed Abushahab, rejected the claims as "ludicrous" and accused Sudan of using the council to plead the army's case.
UN experts monitoring an arms embargo on Darfur said accusations that the UAE had funnelled weapons to the RSF through Chad were "credible".
The Gulf state promised the United States in December that it would not arm the RSF, after two US lawmakers attempted to block its purchase of $1.2 billion in advanced rockets and long-range missiles.
In January, the US lawmakers said the UAE had broken its promises and was still supplying the Sudanese rebels.