Armored vehicles manufactured by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and equipped with defense systems designed and built in France are being used during the civil war in Sudan “in violation of the United Nations arms embargo” on the Darfur region, Amnesty International (AI) says.
The rights group said in a report published on Thursday (14 Nov.) it had identified the UAE-made armored personnel carriers (APCs) in the Darfur region and other parts of Sudan, where they were used by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in its fight with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). In a briefing paper published earlier this year, the AI identified UAE-made armored personnel carriers (APCs) in various parts of Sudan, but the new investigation has concluded that these APCs include also the French-manufactured sophisticated military technology, whereby its deployment on the battlefield in the war-torn country “likely constitutes a violation of the UN arms embargo on Darfur”.
The Nimr Ajban APCs are made in the UAE by the Edge Group, and equipped with the French Galix System, manufactured by Lacroix Defense and KNDS France. In pictures shared on social media and verified by the rights group, several APCs destroyed or captured by the SAF have the Galix System visible. “Amnesty International has already shown how the constant flow of arms into Sudan is causing immense human suffering,” Agnès Callamard, AI’s secretary general, said. “All countries must immediately cease direct and indirect supplies of all arms and ammunition to the warring parties.” More than 20,000 people have been killed in the civil war in Sudan that broke out in April 2023 after simmering tensions between the SAF and the RSF escalated to intense fighting across the North African country.