Since March 2026, the international community has been preoccupied by the war in the Arabian Gulf. This has precluded it from seeing another crisis that is detrimental to the credibility and moral standing of the United Nations.
In March 2021, the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice decided to hold its 15th session in April 2026 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. As a result of the security situation in the Gulf area, the UN General Assembly decided to postpone the Congress to be held in the period from September 26 to October 1, 2026, at the same venue.
In the last five years, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, making holding the Crime Congress in the UAE a fatal blow to the UN’s reputation and credibility. The host country of the Crime Congress has become notoriously known for its diplomatic, financial, logistical, military, and political support for the RSF rebels in Sudan.This support constitutes a flagrant violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter, which prohibits interference in the internal affairs of states and attacks on their sovereignty. The RSF have committed and are still committing horrendous atrocities, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. On the 7th of January 2025, the US State Department determined that the RSF rebels had committed genocide in West Darfur State in June 2023. A plethora of international, media, and academic reports have provided detailed information about the UAE’s support to the RSF rebels.
The Panel of Experts established pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1591 (2005)—which imposes an arms embargo on Darfur region under Chapter VII—shed light on this support. In May 2026, the reputable German Institute for International and Security Affairs published a detailed report entitled ‘The Destabilizing Role of the United Arab Emirates in African Conflicts.” On the 3rd of September, 2026,the UNOHCHR Fact Finding Mission on Sudan issued a report entitled “Fuelling Sudan’s conflict: weapons, fighters and external support networks,” .The report documents how transnational entities operating across several countries have recruited, trained, and deployed foreign mercenaries to support the RSF rebels.It provided details about the UAE’s central role in fueling the conflict and prolonging the suffering of the Sudanese people.
Now, after this black record of the Crime Congress’s host, people who care about human rights and the UN’s image are posing several pertinent questions: What is the value of speaking about fighting human trafficking if one ignores genocide? If we are turning a blind eye to horrendous war crimes and crimes against humanity, why are we convening a conference to speak about fighting the smuggling of arms,smuggling of immigrants, and cybercrime?Will us be able to speak tomorrow about the sanctity human life and the extreme importance of fighting impunity against the most horrendous crimes humanity has known?
Thus, it is crystal clear that the matter before us is not a bilateral issue between Sudan and the UAE. On the contrary, the United Nations and humanity at large are at the crossroads.What is at stake is the reputation and credibility of the UN and the international community.Holding the Crime Congress in a country which consistently violates the the UN Charter, binding Security Council resolutions , Articles 6 and 7 of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) prohibiting arms flows to armed groups involved in atrocities, and rules of accomplice liability under Article 25 of the Rome Statute, is a fatal blow to the UN at a time when the international organization is needed more than ever. It also raises several questions about how to shield the UN from filthy money at a time when it faces the most severe financial crisis in its history. It is hoped that those who care about human rights and the UN’s image will step up and make the right decision. Otherwise, the UN and the international community will have to face the harsh verdict of history, as nothing on earth justifies tolerating war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The unprecedented agony of victims gang-raped, tortured, or massacred by the RSF rebels will always haunt those who support holding the Crime Congress in the UAE.Will the international community,this time, stand on the right side of history? The coming days will tell us.
