French weapons system found in Sudan likely in violation of UN arms embargo, says Amnesty

CAIRO – Armored vehicles manufactured by the United Arab Emirates and equipped with French protection systems were captured by the Sudanese army during the civil war in Sudan, Amnesty International reports.

Human rights group the report said on Thursday he identified UAE-made armored personnel carriers (APCs) in various parts of Sudan, including the Darfur region, where they were used by the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) against the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).

He added that the presence of military equipment on the battlefield “is believed to be a violation” of the UN arms embargo, which prohibits the transfer of weapons to Sudan.

Civil war erupted in April 2023 after tensions between the RSF and the Sudanese army escalated into intense fighting across the North African country, where human rights abuses were rampant.

More than 20,000 people were killed in the conflictaccording to the UN, while 11.6 million were forcibly displaced, including 8.3 million people within the country and 3.1 million people who fled to neighboring countries.

Sudan claims that The UAE supplied weapons to the RSF which continued the 18-month war with the army, the UAE denies.

The Amnesty report said that after checking photos posted on social media showing vehicles captured or destroyed by the Sudanese army, several Nimr Ajban APCs were found on the ground.

The vehicles were reportedly manufactured in the UAE by the Edge Group and equipped with the Galix reactive defense system, which is manufactured in France by Lacroix Defense and KNDS France, according to the Amnesty report.

The Galix system is designed to protect vehicles from approaching threats by releasing projectiles, smoke and decoys, according to the Lacroix website.

“Our research shows that weapons designed and manufactured in France are actively being used on the battlefield in Sudan,” said Agnes Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International.

“The Galix system is being deployed by the RSF in this conflict and any use in Darfur would be a clear violation of the UN arms embargo.

“The French government must ensure that Lacroix Defense and KNDS France immediately stop supplying this system to the UAE.”

ِLacroix was contacted via the website form for comment.

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

“It is outrageous and unacceptable that SAF officials continue to make accusations against the UAE, alleging our involvement in the ongoing conflict,” the statement said, adding that the UAE is involved in humanitarian initiatives to help the Sudanese people in the conflict.

The UAE said it had informed the UN Security Council and international partners that it does not provide support or supplies to the RSF or “any of the warring parties in Sudan”.

Last month, the United States imposed sanctions on Algoni Hamdan Daglo Musa, a senior RSF leader and brother of paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, for “leading efforts” to supply arms during the war.

Algoni controls UAE-based Tradive General Trading LLCa front company that imported vehicles into Sudan on behalf of the RSF paramilitary forces and retrofitted them with machine guns.