Army automobiles and tech made by France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are being utilized in Sudan’s civil warfare, Amnesty Worldwide says.
Armoured automobiles made by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and geared up with French army expertise are being utilized in Sudan’s civil warfare by paramilitary forces, in a probable violation of a UN arms embargo, Amnesty Worldwide mentioned on Thursday.
The rights group mentioned in a report that it had recognized the UAE-made armoured personnel carriers in numerous components of Sudan — together with the Darfur area — the place they have been utilized by the paramilitary Fast Help Forces (RSF) in its battle with the Sudanese military.
The Nimr Ajban armoured automobiles are manufactured within the UAE by the Edge Group, and geared up with the French Galix defence system, made by Lacroix Defence and KNDS France, in line with Amnesty.
The rights group mentioned it had verified images shared on social media displaying the automobiles captured or destroyed by the Sudanese military.
“Our analysis exhibits that weaponry designed and manufactured in France is in energetic use on the battlefield in Sudan,” Amnesty Worldwide’s Secretary Basic Agnès Callamard mentioned.
“The Galix System is being deployed by the RSF on this battle, and any use in Darfur can be a transparent breach of the UN arms embargo” she added.
That arms embargo has been imposed on Sudan’s Darfur area since 2004, in response to allegations of ethnic cleaning by militias towards the area’s non-Arab inhabitants.
Amnesty mentioned that Lacroix Defence, KNDS France and the French authorities had been contacted concerning the findings, however had not offered any response.
Responding to the report, an Emirati authorities spokesperson mentioned in a press release on Thursday that the UAE is the “goal of a coordinated disinformation marketing campaign geared toward undermining our international coverage, regional function, and humanitarian efforts.”
“It’s each outrageous and unacceptable that representatives of Sudan’s military proceed to stage accusations towards the UAE, alleging our involvement within the ongoing battle.”
In June, the Sudanese authorities accused the UAE of fuelling the 18-month warfare within the African nation by offering weapons to the RSF. The accusations have been described as “credible” by UN screens. The UAE has repeatedly denied sending arms to Sudan.
Sudan’s civil warfare erupted in April 2023 after simmering tensions between the Sudanese military and the RSF escalated to intense combating throughout the nation. Either side have been accused of committing human rights violations and warfare crimes throughout the battle.
Greater than 20,000 individuals have been killed within the warfare and 33,000 injured, in line with the UN, whereas 11.6 million have been forcibly displaced, together with 8.3 million individuals internally and three.1 million individuals who have fled to neighbouring international locations.
Further sources • AP