Amnesty Urges France to Investigate Potential UN Arms Embargo Breach in Sudan.

Amnesty International has called on France to investigate the possible illegal use of its military systems by Sudan’s paramilitary forces, suggesting that these actions may violate the United Nations arms embargo on the country.

The human rights organization claims to have identified French-made Galix defence systems being used in Sudan on armoured vehicles manufactured in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is considered a key supplier of weapons to Sudan’s Rapid Support Force (RSF), a paramilitary group engaged in the ongoing conflict with Sudanese government forces.

The Galix system, a countermeasure designed to protect military vehicles from missile threats, was reportedly affixed to Nimr Ajban vehicles produced by the UAE. While France legally exports such military equipment to the UAE, Amnesty stresses that French arms companies and the French government have a responsibility to monitor how these systems are being used and ensure they are not being transferred to Sudan in violation of international arms control agreements.

The conflict between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has been raging since April 2023, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and displacing more than 11 million people. Both sides in the war have been accused of committing widespread human rights abuses. The United Nations has repeatedly called for external actors to halt the supply of arms to both factions in order to prevent further escalation and violence.

The UN imposed a comprehensive arms embargo on Sudan in 2004, specifically targeting the region of Darfur, where the RSF’s predecessor, the Janjaweed militia, was accused of committing genocide during the Darfur conflict. The embargo prohibits all weapons transfers to the region, while the European Union has extended this ban to cover all of Sudan. Despite these measures, the UAE has faced allegations of violating the embargo by supplying the RSF with arms, fueling concerns about international compliance with these restrictions.

Amnesty’s findings underscore the growing concerns over the international community’s role in exacerbating the ongoing violence in Sudan, urging both France and the UAE to more rigorously enforce arms export regulations and ensure their military technology does not end up in the hands of forces violating international law.

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