THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Arab Emirates argued at the UN’s top court on Thursday that it has no jurisdiction to rule on a claim of genocide lodged by Sudan.
The UAE told the judges at the International Court of Justice that the allegations the country is breaching the genocide convention by arming and funding the rebel paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces were a misuse of the institution.
Sudan wants The Hague-based court to issue emergency orders, known as provisional measures, including telling the UAE to do all it can to prevent the killing and other crimes targeting the Masalit people.
“The idea that the UAE is somehow the driver of this reprehensible conflict in Sudan could not be further from the truth,” said Reem Ketait, a senior official at the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She described the case as "the most recent iteration of the applicant’s misuse of our international institutions as a stage from which to attack the UAE.”
Both Sudan and the UAE are signatories to the 1948 genocide convention. The United Arab Emirates, however, has a caveat to part of the treaty which legal experts say makes it unlikely that the case will proceed.
“The ICJ has previously said that this kind of reservation is allowed and is a barrier to a case going forward. The court is most likely to say the same thing in this case, meaning that this case will not go forward,” Melanie O’Brien, an associate professor of international law at the University of Western Australia and an expert on the convention, told The Associated Press.
Sudan descended into a deadly conflict in mid-April 2023 when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary rebels broke out in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions.
Both the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan's military have been accused of abuses.
The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and a U.S. ally, has been repeatedly accused of arming the RSF, something it has strenuously denied despite evidence to the contrary.
Conflict Observatory, a monitoring group which is funded by the U.S. State Department, has identified aircraft it says carried UAE arms transfers to the RSF. Those flights went through Maréchal Idriss Deby international airport in Amdjarass, Chad. The UAE says the purpose of the flights was to support a local hospital.
In January, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, also known as Hemedti, had been targeted for sanctions along with seven RSF-owned companies in the United Arab Emirates. That came as the U.S. declared the RSF rebels are committing genocide.
The war has killed more than 24,000 people and driven over 14 million people — about 30% of the population — from their homes, according to the United Nations. An estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have escaped to neighboring countries.
The Sudanese Armed Forces have broadly retaken Khartoum from the RSF. Last month, the military said it had recaptured Khartoum’s international airport.
A burned military vehicle sits at Khartoum international airport a day after it was recaptured from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
LONDON (AP) — Actor-comedian Russell Brand was granted conditional bail by a London court on Friday after appearing to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women.
Brand, 49, did not enter a plea. He previously denied the allegations made against him.
He was swarmed by photographers as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for his first hearing since he was charged last month with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told Brand to present himself at the Central Criminal Court, commonly known as the Old Bailey, in central London on May 30 and granted him bail on condition he keeps the court informed of where he is staying, either in the U.K. or in the U.S. He currently lives in Florida but is obliged to attend all future court appearances. If he doesn't abide by the conditions, he faces being remanded in custody.
The comedian, author and “Get Him To The Greek” actor, who wore an open shirt and jeans, listened intently to the details of the charges as he sat in the dock. He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he understood his bail conditions.
The alleged offenses took place between 1999 and 2005 — one in the English seaside town of Bournemouth and the other three in the Westminster area of central London. The accusers have not been identified.
Brand has been interviewed by police about the allegations, which he denies. Brand has denied engaging in “non-consensual activity.” In a video posted on X after he was charged, Brand said he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.
Brand is alleged to have raped a woman in 1999 at a hotel room in Bournemouth when she attended a Labour Party conference in the town. It is alleged that while the woman went to the bathroom, Brand removed some of his clothing and later pushed her on the bed, removed her underwear and raped her.
A second woman accuses Brand of grabbing her by the forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet at a television station in London in 2001.
A third accuser was a television worker Brand met in Soho, central London, in 2004. He is accused of grabbing her breasts before allegedly pulling her into a toilet and orally raping her.
The final complainant is a radio station worker who met Brand while he was working for Channel 4 on a spin-off of the “Big Brother” reality television program between 2004 and 2005. Brand is alleged to have grabbed her by the face with both hands, pushed her against a wall and kissed her before grabbing her breasts and buttocks.
The charges follow a September 2023 joint investigation by British media outlets Channel 4 and the Sunday Times.
Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, Brand hosted shows on radio and television and wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol. He has appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.
In recent years, Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. He recently said he had moved to the United States.
Actor--comedian Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
A person takes a smart phone picture as Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Russell Brand surrounded by media as he arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Russell Brand escorted by police and surrounded by the media arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, where he faces, rape and sexual assault charges involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Actor--comedian Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates' court in London, Friday, May 2, 2025, to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
