The Sudanese government says it has ordered the closure of its embassy in Abu Dhabi in response to acts of aggression

Sudan has severed diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the Gulf nation's alleged support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group engaged in a protracted civil war with the African state's military.

In a statement on Tuesday, Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim accused the UAE of violating Sudanese sovereignty by supplying weapons to its "local agent" the RSF, which Khartoum blames for recent drone strikes on Port Sudan and other acts of aggression.

"The [Sudanese Security and Defense] Council decided to declare the United Arab Emirates a state of aggression, sever diplomatic relations with it, and withdraw the Sudanese embassy and consulate general," the minister announced after an emergency meeting chaired by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Sudan was one of the first countries to establish relations with the UAE following its formation in 1971, and the two have maintained mostly cordial ties over the decades. Abu Dhabi positioned itself as a key player in Sudan's political transition after the 2019 ouster of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

READ MORE: UN court rejects genocide case against UAE

The diplomatic rupture follows a setback for Sudan at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which on Monday dismissed a genocide case Khartoum filed against the UAE. Sudan had accused the Abu Dhabi of providing arms and funding to the RSF, particularly in the context of ethnic violence against the Masalit people in West Darfur. The court found it lacked jurisdiction to hear the complaint, citing the UAE's reservation when it joined the Genocide Convention in 2005.

The UAE has rejected Sudan's allegations as "baseless" and welcomed the ICJ ruling as a confirmation that the case lacked merit.

More than 24,000 people have been killed in Sudan, and over 14 million displaced, with half of the population facing acute hunger since clashes broke out in April 2023, according to the United Nations.

The Sudanese government on Tuesday accused the RSF of launching three days of attacks on critical infrastructure in Port Sudan - the country's main port and de facto administrative capital - including the airport and maritime facilities. Officials said the strikes disrupted air traffic and halted humanitarian operations in a city that had largely been spared from the two-year conflict.