Sudan has refuted allegations from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that its military bombed the residence of the Emirati ambassador in Khartoum, announcing on Monday that it will seek legal recourse to demand compensation from the UAE for its alleged backing of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
At a press conference in Port Sudan, Acting Foreign Minister Hussein Awad dismissed the UAE’s accusations as “baseless,” pointing to satellite images taken the day after the supposed incident that showed the ambassador’s residence still standing.
“These claims are without merit,” Awad stated, adding that the UAE’s frustration likely stems from the exposure of its alleged involvement in supporting the RSF’s uprising against Sudan’s government. He urged countries that had backed the UAE’s narrative to reconsider their positions in light of the evidence.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had condemned the alleged bombing, following a UAE foreign ministry statement accusing Sudan’s military of targeting the ambassador’s home in Khartoum’s Al-Raqi district on September 29.
Awad reiterated Sudan’s long-standing claims that Abu Dhabi had provided the RSF with logistical support, including arms, supplies, and political protection. He also questioned why the UAE ambassador had insisted on returning to Khartoum after the outbreak of conflict, while other embassies were evacuating.
“Sudan will invoke international law to hold the UAE accountable for damages caused by its support of the RSF,” Awad said, noting that formal complaints had been filed with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Minister of Culture and Information Graham Abdel-Qadir provided what he described as evidence of UAE logistical aid to the RSF, reportedly funneled through airports in Entebbe (Uganda), Amjaross (Sudan), and Abéché (Chad). He asserted that arms and vehicles captured by Sudanese forces in Khartoum and Sennar could be presented to United Nations experts for verification.
Abdel-Qadir further claimed that the RSF had used the ambassador’s residence for meetings, and that RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemetti) had made his first public appearance in the vicinity of the residence after the war began.
He also cast doubt on the UAE’s photographic evidence of the damage to the building, suggesting the damage was likely caused by stray RSF shells, not by an airstrike from the Sudanese military.