Prelude to Sudan v. UAE
As evident from Sudan’s Application Instituting Proceedings in Sudan v. UAE before the International Court of Justice (ICJ or Court) and the UAE’s declaration demanding the “immediate dismissal” of that case, it was predicted that the provisional measures hearing of 20 April 2025 would largely concentrate on the dual between “prima facie jurisdiction” and “manifest lack of jurisdiction.” Indeed, Sudan argued that the Court had prima facie jurisdiction while the UAE insisted that the Court’s lack of jurisdiction was manifest. In line with the recent trend of the Court, it was predictable that Sudan would confront the risk of its case being removed from the General List of the ICJ as a result of the UAE’s claim of the ICJ’s “manifest lack of jurisdiction” (see, Verbatim Record 2025/2, p.16, §6).
