The key facts

  • Lana Nusseibeh declared her support for UN fact-finding mechanisms in Sudan
  • Politico reported that the Sudanese government is opposing her candidacy
  • She has taken leave from her post as UAE ambassador to the UN to run her campaign

Statement made in the midst of her election campaign

Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh, a candidate for the post of UN Secretary-General, has stated that the 'atrocities' committed by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) must entail accountability, and pledged to support the work of UN-appointed investigators, who have brought accusations of serious violations against both the RSF and the opposing Sudanese Armed Forces. 'Sudan would be a priority for me as Secretary-General,' she wrote on X, adding that the fighting must stop and that civilians and humanitarian workers must be protected. This was reported by The National.

A response to a report about opposition to her candidacy

The statement came in response to a Politico report, according to which Sudan's army-backed government is opposing Nusseibeh's candidacy over the alleged UAE support for the RSF — an accusation the Emirates reject. As The National notes, Nusseibeh took part in negotiations on a ceasefire in Sudan as the UAE's ambassador to the UN — a post from which she has taken leave to run her campaign. The United States, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also involved in the settlement efforts.

Context of the campaign and the conflict

Nusseibeh entered the race last month, when no clear frontrunner had emerged among eight other candidates; her campaign is backed by the Gulf states and other countries. She advocates a 'generational change' and UN reform with 'clearer priorities'; if elected, she would become the first woman to lead the UN and the second Arab after the Egyptian Boutros Boutros-Ghali. The civil war in Sudan has been going on since April 2023, following a struggle between the army and the RSF over a return to civilian rule after the 2021 military coup. According to the latest UN reports, RSF drone strikes are killing civilians and destroying homes, while the army is stepping up surveillance and arrests and putting people at risk by positioning itself in residential areas.