A joint investigation by the FRANCE 24 Observers team has revealed how European-made weapons have made their way to Sudan’s battlefields — despite EU arms embargoes — through deals involving Emirati firms with a history of arms diversion.
Central to the investigation is International Golden Group (IGG), a UAE-based defense contractor, now owned by state-funded conglomerate Edge Group. IGG was linked to a €50 million Bulgarian mortar bomb shipment in 2020, officially intended for the Emirati army but suspected of re-export to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia accused of bombing civilians. Bulgarian manufacturer Dunarit, which produced the bombs, and intermediary ARM-BG Ltd., a small company with sudden financial spikes, did not respond to inquiries. Meanwhile, IGG continues to secure major contracts, including a €178 million ammunition deal at the 2025 IDEX arms fair.
This is significant because while the IGC previously claimed that the weapons it obtained will be used by the Emirati army, they were later exported to Libya, as documented by the UN Panel of Experts on Libya. Despite IGG’s controversial record, major European defense firms — including France’s Safran, Thales, and KNDS France — maintain partnerships with it and Edge Group. French-made self-defense systems have even been spotted on RSF-used vehicles, according to Amnesty International. Critics, including Tony Fortin of the France-based Arms Observatory, warn that such collaborations risk enabling the UAE’s opaque re-export practices. While companies claim compliance with legal export licenses, the investigation highlights the troubling lack of oversight as European weapons appear in war zones under embargo.