New weapons from China, Turkey, Russia, UAE fuelling Sudan war

Newly manufactured weapons are fuelling the war in Sudan, a new report by Amnesty International claims.

In a report, New Weapons Fuelling the Sudan Conflict, released on July 24, Amnesty details how foreign weapons are being transferred into and around Sudan, in flagrant violation of the existing arms embargo on Darfur.

“The constant flow of arms into Sudan is continuing to cause civilian death and suffering on an immense scale. This is a humanitarian crisis that cannot be ignored,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact.

The study shows that weapons entering the country end up in the hands of fighters who are accused of humanitarian and human rights law violations.

Amnesty methodically tracked a range of lethal weapons –handguns, shotguns, and rifles – used by the warring forces and called for a blanket arms embargo on Sudan.

“It is clear that the existing arms embargo that currently applies only to Darfur is completely inadequate, and must be updated and extended to cover the whole of Sudan. As the threat of famine looms large, the world cannot continue to fail civilians in Sudan,” Mr Muchena said.

At least 16,650 people have been killed since the escalation in conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023. More than 11 million people are estimated to have been internally displaced, and millions are at imminent risk of famine.