Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commissioner criticized UN and AU officials for attending a UAE-sponsored meeting regarding Sudan’s humanitarian crisis. She accused the UAE of attempting to improve its image while exacerbating the situation through support of the Rapid Support Forces. Biniya emphasized the need for unpoliticized humanitarian aid and urged for pressure on the UAE to stop its assistance to the RSF.
On February 14, 2025, Salwa Adam Biniya, Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, publicly criticized United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the outgoing African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki. She condemned their participation in a UAE-sponsored meeting regarding Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, which occurred during the African Union summit in Addis Ababa. Biniya characterized their attendance as “shameful and disgraceful.”
The conference featured several prominent figures, including Guterres, Faki, Kenya’s President William Ruto, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, who leads the “Smoud” coalition. During this meeting, the UAE pledged $200 million in aid for the humanitarian situation in Sudan.
Biniya accused the UAE of using the meeting to enhance its international image while hiding its alleged transgressions in Sudan, specifically its support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). She highlighted the RSF’s involvement in numerous abuses amid the ongoing conflict. Biniya pointed to the RSF’s indiscriminate assaults on medical facilities and educational institutions, civilian displacement, and acts of sexual violence and looting against humanitarian operations.
She holds the UAE accountable for intensifying the humanitarian crisis by financially supporting and equipping the RSF, labeling it a “direct partner in the war against Sudan.” Biniya urged both the UN Secretary-General and the AU Chairperson to advocate for the Sudanese populace and to persuade the UAE to stop its backing of the RSF.
Moreover, she called upon the international community to avoid politicizing the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, asserting that “humanitarian assistance should be provided to those in need without any political agendas.” This conflict, which ignited in April 2023 between Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, has inflicted severe humanitarian consequences, displacing millions and creating an urgent need for assistance.
In summary, Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commissioner condemned key international figures for their participation in a UAE-sponsored meeting, arguing that it was an attempt by the UAE to shift focus from its actions in Sudan. She emphasized the need for genuine humanitarian responses free of political motivations and called for the cessation of UAE support for the RSF, which has contributed significantly to the country’s humanitarian crisis.
Original Source: sudantribune.com
