Sudan: Continued flow of arms fueling relentless civilian suffering in new conflict inquiry

• Weapons from China, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen were identified
• The existing arms embargo on Darfur is completely ineffective
• This is a humanitarian crisis that cannot be ignored Deprose Muchena

The conflict in Sudan is being fueled by a steady flow of weapons into the country, Amnesty International said today at a new briefing.

conference, New weapons fueling Sudan's conflict documents how recently manufactured foreign weapons have been transferred to and around Sudan, often in flagrant violation of the existing Darfur arms embargo.

Amnesty International found that weapons and ammunition produced or recently transferred from countries including China, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen are being imported in large quantities into Sudan, and then in some cases diverted. in Darfur.

To date, more than 16,650 people have been killed since the escalation of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Force (RSF) in April 2023. Amnesty International has documented civilian casualties in both indiscriminate attacks and in direct attacks on civilians. Some of the violations of international humanitarian law by the parties to the conflict constitute war crimes. More than 11 million people are estimated to have been internally displaced, and millions are internally displaced in immediate danger of starvation.

The ongoing flow of arms into Sudan continues to cause civilian death and suffering on a massive scale

Deprose Muchena, Amnesty Internationals Senior Director of Regional Human Rights Impact.

The ongoing flow of arms into Sudan continues to cause civilian death and suffering on a massive scale, said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Senior Director of Regional Human Rights Impact.

Our research shows that weapons entering the country are placed in the hands of fighters who are accused of violating international humanitarian and human rights law. We have methodically tracked down a range of deadly weapons, including pistols, shotguns and rifles, being used in Sudan by warring forces.

It is clear that the existing arms embargo that currently applies only to Darfur is completely inadequate and needs to be updated and extended to cover all of Sudan. This is a humanitarian crisis that cannot be ignored. While the threat of famine looms large, the world cannot continue to fail civilians in Sudan.

Amnesty International analyzed more than 1,900 shipment records from two different trade data providers, and reviewed open source and digital evidence, including nearly 2,000 photos and videos showing weapons recently produced or imported into Sudan . Amnesty International also interviewed 17 regional arms and Sudanese experts between February and March 2024 to validate the data analysis and investigate arms supply lines used by various groups.

A global trade in death

Amnesty International identified small arms and ammunition produced or recently transferred from a number of countries being used on the battlefield by various parties to the conflict. Advanced drone jammers, mortars and anti-materiel rifles made in China have been used by both sides of the conflict. A variety of armored personnel carriers recently produced by the United Arab Emirates are used by the RSF.

Shipment-level trade data show that hundreds of thousands of empty guns have been exported by Turkish companies to Sudan in recent years, along with millions of empty cartridges. Amnesty International believes these could be turned into deadly weapons in Sudan on a large scale, pointing to the need for closer scrutiny of this largely unregulated trade.

Private / Amnesty International.

Amnesty International also identified a developing trend of small arms normally sold on the civilian market being diverted instead to government forces and armed opposition groups. Companies in Turkey and Russia have exported civilian variants of small arms that are used by both sides in the conflict.

Weapons such as the Tigr rifles or the Russian-made Saiga-MK rifles Kalashnikov Concern are usually marketed to civilian owners, but have been sold to arms dealers with strong ties to the SAF.

Private / Amnesty International.

Sarsilmaz, the main producer of Trkiyes small arms, supplies the SAF. Analysis of trade data also revealed how smaller Turkish companies such as Derya Arms, BRG Defense and Dalolu Silah have also exported Turkish shotguns and rifles to Sudan in recent years. For example, a video posted by the RSF on its official X account, said to have been filmed in Nyala in South Darfur on February 15, 2024, shows an RSF soldier armed with a BRG 55 rifle manufactured by Turkish company Burgu Metal. Amnesty International also uncovered evidence that recently manufactured Chinese mortars have been used in El-Daein in East Darfur and that the latest Chinese small arms are also widely present in other parts of Sudan.

The UN Security Council should urgently extend the arms embargo to the rest of Sudan

Deprose White

The UN Security Council should urgently extend the arms embargo to the rest of Sudan and also strengthen its monitoring and verification mechanisms, Deprose Muchena said.

The extension should effectively monitor and prevent international transfers and illegal diversion of arms into the country, and should cover the widest possible scope of arms to combat the widespread diversion of shotguns, hunting rifles, blanks and ammunition relevant in Sudan.

By supplying arms to Sudan, states parties to the Arms Trade Treaty such as China and Serbia are violating their legal obligations under Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty, and therefore undermining the legally binding framework governing the global arms trade.

Given the serious and ongoing risks to human rights, all states and corporate actors must also immediately cut off all arms and ammunition supplies to Sudan, including the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons and military materiel, including related technologies, parts and components. , technical assistance, training, financial assistance or other assistance. States should also explicitly prohibit the transfer to Sudan of firearms traded to civilians, which Amnesty International has repeatedly documented in the hands of parties to the conflict.

Private / Amnesty International.

METHODOLOGY

Amnesty International obtained details of more than 1,900 arms shipments from different countries to Sudan by examining shipment-level trade data collected by two providers, covering 2013-2023 and 2020-2023 respectively.