Nairobi — Sudanese Groups Denounce UAE's UN Chief Nominee

Sudanese activists and human rights monitors are objecting to the United Arab Emirates' nomination of diplomat Lana Nusseibeh to lead the United Nations, arguing her public denials of UAE involvement in Sudan's civil war disqualify her from the post, according to reporting by Carlos Mureithi in The Guardian.

The UAE put Nusseibeh forward last week as a candidate to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres, who is completing his second five-year term this year. Her entry reshuffled a selection process the Guardian describes as having become gridlocked.

Who is Lana Nusseibeh?

Nusseibeh served as the UAE's ambassador to the United Nations until 2024 and currently holds a ministerial post in the Emirati government. She has said she took a leave of absence from that ministerial role to be "mindful of the obligations of independence" the UN job would require, according to the Guardian's account, which includes a photo caption attributing the quote to her directly.

During her UN tenure, Nusseibeh repeatedly echoed the UAE's position denying accusations that Abu Dhabi arms or finances Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the Guardian reports.

Why are Sudanese groups and rights monitors objecting?

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

Separately, the advocacy group Avaaz convened a virtual briefing this week where critics raised similar concerns. Ibrahim Alduma, who grew up in El Fasher and co-founded the human rights organization Sudan Action Hub, told the briefing that a Nusseibeh appointment would undermine confidence in the UN among Sudanese civilians, saying it would leave activists unable to tell people on the ground that the United Nations is not an obstacle to their rights, per the Guardian.

What is the UAE accused of in Sudan's war?

Rights groups and other monitors have for years documented what the Guardian calls evidence of UAE support for the RSF, which is fighting the Sudanese army in a civil war that has drawn international scrutiny. The RSF has been accused of atrocities throughout the conflict, including an October 2025 attack on the city of El Fasher that the United Nations said had "hallmarks of genocide," according to the Guardian's reporting.

The UAE has issued blanket denials of the support allegations, and Nusseibeh, in her prior UN role, consistently reflected that position, the Guardian reports. The article does not detail the specific evidence underlying the rights groups' claims beyond characterizing it as having been compiled "for years."

How does the UN secretary-general selection matter here?

The Guardian frames the UAE's nomination as having upended a race that had stalled. Guterres departs after two five-year terms, and the Security Council traditionally recommends a candidate for the General Assembly to approve. The dispute over Nusseibeh centers on whether a nominee tied to a government accused of fueling one of the world's active wars should lead an institution whose own investigators have used the word genocide to describe events in that same conflict.

The Guardian's reporting does not indicate how the Security Council's permanent members have responded to the nomination or what timeline governs a final decision.

What to watch

• Whether other Security Council members, particularly the permanent five, publicly weigh in on Nusseibeh's candidacy.
• Whether the UAE or Nusseibeh issues a direct response to al-Karib's and Alduma's specific criticisms.
• Whether additional Sudanese civil society groups join Avaaz, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, or Sudan Action Hub in opposing the nomination.
• Whether the General Assembly's selection timetable accelerates or stalls further as a result of the controversy.

The Guardian notes the UAE nomination came as the broader race for secretary-general had been gridlocked, meaning the dispute over Nusseibeh could either resolve that impasse or deepen it, depending on how Security Council members respond in the coming weeks.

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