ISIDORA CIRIC (ABU DHABI)
The UAE on Monday pressed the UN Security Council to consider imposing a full arms embargo on all warring parties in Sudan, saying that both sides in the conflict have committed war crimes, and called for stronger backing of the QUAD-led push for a humanitarian truce.
Speaking at the Council session on the situation in Sudan,
Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, warned that the current political impasse “creates dangerous space” for extremist groups to fill the power vacuum and destabilise the wider region.
“As the QUAD’s Joint Statement of September 12 underscored, Sudan’s future cannot be dictated by violent extremist groups, including those part of, or linked to, the Muslim Brotherhood, whose destabilising influence has fuelled violence and instability across the region,” the Ambassador added.
He said that the warring parties’ repeated disregard for international calls, including from the QUAD, to implement a humanitarian truce had “crossed yet another red line” with a drone strike on a UN base in Kadugli earlier this month, which killed six UN peacekeepers.
The Ambassador strongly condemned the “heinous” strike, which it described as a direct aggression against the UN, stressing that “those responsible must be held accountable”. He also “categorically” rejected the “false and unfounded allegations” against the UAE that had been raised during the same meeting, adding that Abu Dhabi remains focused on a political track that centres on Sudanese civilians rather than armed factions.
Abushahab said that the attack was not an isolated incident but part of a wider “well-documented pattern of violations” by both parties, including the “atrocities” committed against civilians in El Fasher, Kordofan and Al Geizira, expulsion of UN officials, obstruction of humanitarian aid as millions are pushed into famine, and the intimidation of mediators.
The UAE Ambassador also challenged the tendency of each side to use the battlefield narrative as cover, arguing that evidence points to abuses by both the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, alongside allied groups. He said the Council should treat the mounting allegations as a basis for action, not as a reason for delay.
For the UAE, the centre of gravity of any peace process should be an immediate humanitarian truce, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a civilian-led transition that excludes both the SAF and RSF from steering Sudan’s political future.
Abushahab described the QUAD process, led by Washington, as the “most viable framework” to break the deadlock and argued that broader international alignment behind it is needed to press both parties to accept the truce on the table.
“Lessons of history and present realities make it clear that unilateral efforts by either of the warring parties are not sustainable and will only prolong the war,” he said.
Abushahab then asked the Council to move beyond statements if the parties continue to stall or escalate, urging members to consider measures that directly target the means by which the war is being fought.
“If they refuse, this Council must be prepared to act,” he said. “It must use all tools at its disposal - including imposing a comprehensive arms embargo across all of Sudan, to stop the flow of weapons fuelling this war.”
He stressed the UAE, which has already donated billions of dollars in humanitarian assistance, would continue to work with international and regional actors to push for a ceasefire and a political path that returns authority to civilians.
“The UAE’s commitment to the Sudanese people is long-standing and unwavering. We will continue to work with regional and international partners to secure an immediate ceasefire and support a credible pathway toward lasting peace.”