Sudanese Bar Association Attacks AU-UAE “Partnership”
Port Sudan – Sudanhorizon
The Sudanese Bar Association on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the African Union Commission for entering into an “institutional partnership” with the United Arab Emirates, warning that this cooperation threatens the sovereignty of AU member states and opens the door to what it described as “soft colonialism” on the continent.
In a statement it published, the association condemned a joint release issued on January 6 by the Commission and an UAE official, which discussed the situation in Sudan and called for an immediate ceasefire.
The association considered the agreement a systematic deviation from the African Union Charter and its traditions, which are based on solidarity and the protection of the unity of states. The union accused the current head of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssef, of collaborating with a “non-African state that is arming and supporting the rebel militia in Sudan,” referring to the Rapid Support Forces militias, which have been waging war against the Sudanese army since April 2023.
The statement read: “The African Union Commission’s deviation from the Union’s charter and established traditions began in 2019… Unless the Summit of Heads of State addresses this deviation, this institution will become a gateway for soft colonialism.”
The union believes that the recent UAE move aims to prevent Sudan from regaining its seat in the African Union, despite Khartoum having “fully met the conditions for return” by appointing a civilian prime minister who in turn formed his cabinet and executive.
The African Union suspended Sudan’s membership following actions taken by the military in October 2021. The union stated that the joint statement violated the African Union’s rules governing its positions on various African issues, as it was issued outside its competent institutions and addressed serious issues that fall within the mandate of the Peace and Security Council and the Summit of Heads of State and Government.
The statement continued, “But the subtle infiltration practiced by the UAE within the African Union through its senior officials is what reduces its apparatus, institutions, and systems to the person of the Commission Chair and his office.”
Legal experts criticized the language of the joint statement, which equated the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in terms of responsibility for the atrocities committed.
The union pointed out that international reports, including those of the Security Council and the International Criminal Court, have specifically condemned the RSF for committing crimes against humanity and systematic violence against women.
It emphasized that the biggest loser from the UAE’s interference in African affairs is the African continent and its people. This interference is primarily colonial in nature, aiming, like the historical colonialism of the continent, to plunder its resources by dismantling its states and controlling its political leadership.
The statement added, “We need not reiterate that the UAE’s interference is the spearhead of Zionist infiltration into the African continent. The recognition of the statelet of Somaliland and the extent of the UAE’s role in it are still fresh in our minds.”
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