Sudanese groups oppose UAE nominee for UN secretary general

The United Arab Emirates' nomination of Lana Nusseibeh for United Nations secretary general has drawn opposition from Sudanese diaspora activists and international human rights groups, who cite her dismissal of allegations that the UAE arms and supports Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.

The UAE named Nusseibeh last week to succeed António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends this year, the Guardian reported. She served as the UAE's representative at the UN until 2024.

Rights groups have for years documented evidence of Emirati support for the RSF, which faces accusations of atrocities in its war with the Sudanese army. They include an October 2025 attack on El Fasher that the UN said had "hallmarks of genocide". Nusseibeh has repeatedly echoed the UAE's blanket denial of the accusations.

Hala al-Karib, regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, said Nusseibeh had "no track record of acting independently of her country's role in Sudan" and that a Security Council endorsement would amount "essentially [to] a denial of the genocidal acts committed in El Fasher by the RSF".

Ibrahim Alduma, who grew up in El Fasher and co-founded the rights group Sudan Action Hub, told a briefing organised by the advocacy group Avaaz on Tuesday that a Nusseibeh appointment would cost the UN public trust. "If this candidate [succeeds], how would we tell people on the ground that the United Nations is not an obstruction of the [rights of] the people of Sudan?" he said.

Husam Mahjoub, co-founder of the independent broadcaster Sudan Bukra TV, said choosing the UAE's senior diplomat would "hand leadership of (UN) institutions to that government's chief defender, at the very moment Sudanese civilians most need the UN to hold powerful states accountable".

Kenneth Roth, a former executive director of Human Rights Watch, told the briefing: "She has been asked about the UAE's role in arming and supporting the RSF, and she just blatantly denies it without regard to the facts."

On Wednesday Bruno Stagno Ugarte, Human Rights Watch's chief advocacy officer, said Nusseibeh's rejection of UN reports documenting the UAE's links to the RSF had "seriously undermined justice and accountability for the victims".

Kate Ferguson, co-founder of the charity Protection Approaches, said she had seen insufficient evidence that the candidate was independent of her state. "This is autocratic capture of our most significant multilateral institution," she said.

In a statement on Tuesday, Nusseibeh said she would support UN fact-finding missions on accountability and transitional justice in Sudan if appointed, and called the RSF's crimes "atrocious". She said she had taken leave from her ministerial post to be "mindful of the obligations of independence" and that "the horrific conflict in Sudan will be the litmus test of the success of an incoming secretary general".

A candidate needs at least nine affirmative votes from the 15 Security Council members and no veto from the permanent five. An informal poll this month put former Costa Rican vice-president Rebeca Grynspan narrowly ahead, but she and every other candidate drew two or more opposing votes from the permanent members. The next straw poll could come as soon as Friday, with its format and timing still under negotiation.