ADDIS ABABA, Feb 14, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) called for a humanitarian pause in the Sudan war during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Ramadan, as leaders met in Ethiopia on Friday to discuss the conflict.

The UAE is accused by the United Nations and others of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting the regular army since April 2023 in a war that has killed tens of thousands and uprooted over 12 million.

The Gulf state promised the United States in December that it would not arm the RSF, after two US lawmakers attempted to block its purchase of $1.2 billion in advanced rockets and long-range missiles.

Last month, those lawmakers said the UAE had broken its promises and was still supplying the Sudanese rebels.

"This war has really gone on for too long, cost too many lives and brought about immense suffering," Reem al-Hashimy, the UAE's minister of state for international cooperation, told AFP.

She was speaking on the sidelines of the annual African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, with special meetings on Friday to discuss the conflicts in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"What the UAE is looking to do alongside its partners... is to call for a humanitarian pause as we approach the holy month of Ramadan, which is in two weeks," said al-Hashimy.

"We are hopeful that by having this humanitarian pause we will be able to deliver aid unhindered... to those that need it the most, particularly women and children who are suffering in unprecedented ways," she added.

She said the UAE would make a commitment of an additional $200 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan.

Other powers including Egypt, Turkey, Iran and Russia have also been accused of supporting sides in the war between dueling generals.

The Sudanese army controls the east and north of the country, while the RSF holds most of the stricken Darfur region, where the United Nations on Monday accused it of blocking aid.

On Tuesday, the African Union called the war the "worst humanitarian crisis in the world", with more than 431,000 children receiving treatment for malnutrition last year.