French weapons used in Sudan war despite UN arms embargo, Amnesty says

Armoured vehicles made by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and equipped with French military technology are being used in Sudan’s civil war by paramilitary forces, in a likely violation of a UN arms embargo, Amnesty International said on Thursday.

The rights group said in a report that it had identified the UAE-made armoured personnel carriers in various parts of Sudan — including the Darfur region — where they were used by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in its conflict with the Sudanese army.

The Nimr Ajban armoured vehicles are manufactured in the UAE by the Edge Group, and equipped with the French Galix defence system, made by Lacroix Defence and KNDS France, according to Amnesty.

The rights group said it had verified photos shared on social media showing the vehicles captured or destroyed by the Sudanese army.

“Our research shows that weaponry designed and manufactured in France is in active use on the battlefield in Sudan,” Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said.

“The Galix System is being deployed by the RSF in this conflict, and any use in Darfur would be a clear breach of the UN arms embargo” she added.

That arms embargo has been imposed on Sudan’s Darfur region since 2004, in response to allegations of ethnic cleansing by militias against the region’s non-Arab population.

Amnesty said that Lacroix Defence, KNDS France and the French government had been contacted about the findings, but had not provided any response.

Responding to the report, an Emirati government spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday that the UAE is the “target of a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at undermining our foreign policy, regional role, and humanitarian efforts.”

“It is both outrageous and unacceptable that representatives of Sudan’s army continue to level accusations against the UAE, alleging our involvement in the ongoing conflict.”

In June, the Sudanese government accused the UAE of fuelling the 18-month war in the African nation by providing weapons to the RSF. The accusations have been described as “credible” by UN monitors. The UAE has repeatedly denied sending arms to Sudan.

Sudan’s civil war erupted in April 2023 after simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the RSF escalated to intense fighting across the country. Both sides have been accused of committing human rights violations and war crimes during the conflict.

More than 20,000 people have been killed in the war and 33,000 injured, according to the UN, while 11.6 million have been forcibly displaced, including 8.3 million people internally and 3.1 million people who have fled to neighbouring countries.

Additional sources • AP