UNITED NATIONS — International human rights monitors and members of the Sudanese diaspora have denounced the candidacy of Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh for United Nations Secretary-General, citing her repeated denials of accusations that the United Arab Emirates is fueling the war in Sudan by supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The UAE nominated Nusseibeh last week to succeed António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends this year.
Rights organizations have provided documented evidence for years of the UAE's support for the RSF, which stands accused of committing atrocities during its conflict with the Sudanese army, including an October 2025 assault on the city of El Fasher that the UN characterized as bearing the "hallmarks of genocide."
Nusseibeh, who served as the UAE's representative to the UN until 2024, has consistently echoed her country's denials regarding these allegations.
Hala al-Karib, a Sudanese pro-democracy and women's rights activist and 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." Security Council endorsement of Nusseibeh would amount to "essentially a denial of the genocidal acts committed in El Fasher by the RSF," al-Karib said.
During a virtual briefing Tuesday by the Avaaz human rights advocacy group, Ibrahim Alduma, co-founder of the human rights organization Sudan Action Hub and a native of El Fasher, said Nusseibeh's success would cause people to lose faith in the UN. He questioned how Sudanese civilians and victims of other wars could trust the UN to achieve justice under her leadership.
Husam Mahjoub, a Sudanese advocate and co-founder of independent media outlet Sudan Bukra TV, said electing the UAE's senior diplomat would place UN leadership in the hands of that government's chief defender, precisely when Sudanese civilians need the UN to hold powerful states accountable.
Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, said Nusseibeh had been asked about the UAE's role in arming and supporting the RSF. She "blatantly denies it without regard to the facts," Roth said, adding that this is not what is needed in a UN Secretary-General.
Bruno Stagno Ugarte, chief advocacy officer at Human Rights Watch, said Nusseibeh's dismissal of UN reports documenting the UAE's links to the RSF had "seriously undermined justice and accountability for the victims."
Nusseibeh issued a statement Tuesday saying she would support the UN's core mission if appointed.
