The UAE and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) issued a joint statement on Friday stressing the need to ensure accountability for crimes committed in Sudan's civil war.
The statement issued by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs followed a visit by Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan, Minister of State, to the DRC capital Kinshasa, where he met President Felix Tshisekedi.
The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 13 million and caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The warring sides have been accused by the UN of committing atrocities and war crimes.
EU foreign ministers on Thursday approved sanctions against Abdelrahim Dagalo, deputy commander of the RSF, over alleged rights abuses. Earlier this year, the US accused the leader of the armed forces, Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, of "destabilising Sudan and undermining the goal of a democratic transition". Washington also said Gen Al Burhan had used chemical weapons during the war and placed him under sanctions.
The UAE and DRC emphasised that the primary responsibility for ending the civil war lies with the armed forces and the RSF, the joint statement said. "They firmly stressed the need to ensure accountability for crimes committed and that the weaponisation of food and aid must stop," it added.
The two countries also stressed that Sudan’s future "cannot be dictated by violent extremist groups part of or evidently linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, whose destabilising influence has fuelled violence and instability across the region".
Some forces within the army are considered to be loosely aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood.
The UAE is part of the Quad countries, which also include the US, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, working to end the conflict. They mapped out a plan for Sudan in September – a three-month truce, to be followed by a ceasefire and a political process to determine the country’s future leadership.
Abu Dhabi and Kinshasa said they would remain "closely engaged with regional and international partners to support collective efforts, within the Quad framework, aimed at ending the civil war and restoring peace, stability and unity in Sudan", the joint statement added.
Doha peace framework between DRC and M23 rebels
The UAE also welcomed the signing of the Doha Framework for Peace between the DRC and the M23 Movement, describing it as a “pivotal milestone” towards national reconciliation.
The DRC and the Rwanda-backed M23 militia last week signed a peace framework in Qatar aimed at ending the fighting. Qatar, with the US and African Union, has shuttled between the two sides for months hoping to end the conflict in the mineral-rich eastern region of the DRC, where the M23 has captured key cities.
The DRC and M23 signed a ceasefire deal and an earlier framework in July. But each side has accused the other of breaking the truce.
Hundreds of thousands of people have died in various conflicts in the eastern DRC since the mid-1990s.
