2 years of Sudan war: UAE calls for peace, end to 'humanitarian catastrophe'

The UAE has made an urgent call for peace as the war in Sudan spills into a third year.

Lana Nusseibeh, UAE's Assistant Minister for Political Affairs, said in a statement that the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Sudan is among the world’s most severe: over 30 million people are in need of urgent assistance, famine is spreading, and aid is being deliberately blocked.

"Atrocities continue to be committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SAF’s continued offensives — marked by starvation tactics, indiscriminate bombardment of populated areas, reprisals against civilians, including emergency response room workers, and the reported use of chemical weapons — have inflicted unimaginable suffering on a civilian population already on the brink of collapse," Nusseibeh said.

has condemned these atrocities unequivocally and calls for accountability. "The UAE also strongly condemns including the brutal assaults on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps near El Fasher, which resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries. All parties to the conflict must halt the deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers and the indiscriminate shelling of schools, markets, and hospitals," the statement said.

Lana Nusseibeh. Photo: File

also called for immediate action on three fronts.

• A ceasefire and political process

The guns must fall silent. The UAE urges both the SAF and RSF to agree to an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire and come to the negotiating table in good faith. There can be no military solution—only a political one that reflects the will of the Sudanese people.

• Unhindered humanitarian access

The obstruction of aid is unconscionable and the weaponisation of humanitarian aid and food supplies is a condemned act. Both parties must allow immediate, safe, and urgent access for humanitarian organisations to reach those in desperate need across Sudan. The UAE calls on the UN to prevent warring parties from using humanitarian aid for military or political purposes. The lives of millions of civilians depend on it.

• International pressure

The international community must act urgently to facilitate a political process, increase humanitarian assistance, and exert coordinated pressure on all actors fuelling the conflict. We call for a transition to a civilian-led and independent government — the only form of leadership that can legitimately represent the people of Sudan and lay the foundation for lasting peace. The world cannot allow Sudan to spiral further into chaos, extremism, and fragmentation, the statement said.

The statement further added: "Since the outbreak of the conflict, the UAE has provided more than $600 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan and neighbouring countries —including through UN agencies, impartially, based on need and without discrimination. We remain committed to supporting the Sudanese people and to working with international partners to alleviate the suffering and push for peace.

"The time for action is now. The killing must stop. Sudan’s future must be built on peace, justice, and civilian leadership, independent from military control — not on the ambitions of those who seek to prolong war at the expense of their own people."