Rubio emphasized the importance of a ceasefire in Sudan in talks with UAE counterpart

(Patria) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the importance of achieving a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan in a phone call with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, on Friday, just days after the top Washington diplomat said action was needed to stop the flow of weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Reuters reported.

The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has created what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis at a time when global aid budgets are shrinking.
Around 12.5 million Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally by mid-October, and an additional 140,000 since fleeing RSF attacks on al-Fashir and towns in the Kordofan region.

UAE rejects claims of supporting RSF

The Sudanese army has accused the UAE of supplying the RSF with weapons, a claim that UN experts and US lawmakers have found credible. The UAE's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Jamal Al Musharakh, rejected claims on Thursday that it provides support in any form to any of the warring parties.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Rubio said Washington is doing everything it can to end the fighting and put pressure on the involved parties. "Something needs to be done to stop the weapons and the support that the RSF is receiving as they continue their advances," Rubio said.

When asked about the UAE's role in the conflict, Rubio refrained from naming them directly but said, "We know who the parties are that are involved... that's why they are part of the Quad, along with other countries that are involved. I can only tell you at the highest levels of our government, the arguments are being made and pressure is being applied to the relevant parties. This has to stop."

He did not rule out the possibility of the RSF being designated a terrorist organization, saying the United States would take such a step if it helped end the fighting.

The fall of al-Fashir to the RSF on October 26 solidified their control over the Darfur region in the more than two-and-a-half-year civil war with the Sudanese army.

Tens of thousands of people who fled al-Fashir are missing, the UN refugee agency said on Friday, raising concerns for their safety following reports of rape, murder, and other abuses by fugitives.