Members of the Sudanese diaspora and international human rights monitors have denounced the candidature of an Emirati diplomat for the top job at the UN, citing her denial of accusations that the United Arab Emirates is fuelling the war in Sudan by supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The UAE nominated Lana Nusseibeh last week to replace the UN secretary general, António Guterres, as he finishes his second five-year term ⁠this year, upending a race that had become gridlocked.

Rights groups and others have for years documented evidence of UAE support for the RSF, which has been accused of atrocities during the course of its war against the Sudanese army, including an attack on the city of El Fasher in October 2025 that the UN said had “hallmarks of genocide” .

Nusseibeh, the UAE’s representative to the UN until 2024, has repeatedly reflected the UAE’s blanket denials of the accusations.

The Sudanese pro-democracy and women’s rights activist Hala al-Karib, the regional director of the…