UAE 'does not recognise' Sudan's decision to sever diplomatic ties

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday rejected a decision by Sudan's army-aligned government to sever diplomatic ties with Abu Dhabi, saying its administration "does not represent the legitimate government of Sudan".

Sudan declared the UAE an "aggressor state" on Tuesday, severing diplomatic relations and closing its embassy and consulate in the Gulf state.

The Sudanese government, which moved to Port Sudan from the capital following the outbreak of the war in 2023, has accused the UAE of supplying the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with weapons used to attack the army.

Foreign ministry communications director Afra Al Hameli posted on X Wednesday that the UAE "does not recognize the decision of the Port Sudan Authority, as the Port Sudan Authority does not represent the legitimate government of Sudan and its honourable people".

ICJ case

She called that decision "a reaction issued just one day after the International Court of Justice dismissed the case submitted by the Port Sudan Authority".

The ICJ on Monday threw out a case brought by Sudan against the UAE accusing it of complicity in genocide by supporting the RSF.

Since April 2023, the northeast African country has been devastated by a deadly struggle between the armed forces led by Sudan's de facto leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF led by his former deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Port Sudan on Wednesday came under air attack from drones for the fourth successive day, an army source there said.

Safe haven

The coastal city had been a safe haven, hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people and United Nations offices, until Sunday when drone strikes blamed on the paramilitaries began.

The RSF has not directly commented on this week's attacks on Port Sudan.

On Monday, the ICJ threw out Sudan's case against the UAE, saying it "manifestly lacked" jurisdiction to rule on the case and threw out it out.

The UAE denies accusations that it backs the RSF in Sudan's war that has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted 13 million and created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.