Constant flow of arms fuelling Sudan conflict – Amnesty International

Human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has made serious claims that the ongoing military conflict in Sudan is being fuelled by a constant flow of weapons into the country.

At a media briefing held on Thursday, the organisation detailed how recently manufactured foreign weapons have been transferred into and around Sudan, “often in flagrant breach of the existing Darfur arms embargo.”

“Amnesty International found that recently manufactured or recently transferred weapons and ammunition from countries including China, Russia, Serbia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen are being imported in large quantities into Sudan, and then in some cases diverted into Darfur.”

To date, more than 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.

Amnesty International said it has documented civilian casualties in both indiscriminate strikes and direct attacks on civilians, adding that “some of the international humanitarian law violations by parties to the conflict amount to war crimes.”

More than 11 million people are estimated to have been internally displaced, due to the conflict, and millions are at immediate risk of famine.

“The constant flow of arms into Sudan is continuing to cause civilian death and suffering on an immense scale,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact.

“Our research shows that weapons entering the country have been placed into the hands of combatants who are accused of international humanitarian and human rights law violations. We have methodically tracked a range of lethal weapons – including handguns, shotguns and rifles – that are being used in Sudan by warring forces.

“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. This is a humanitarian crisis that cannot be ignored. As the threat of famine looms large, the world cannot continue to fail civilians in Sudan,” Muchena appealed.

Amnesty International explained that it analyzed more than 1,900 shipment records from two different trade data providers and reviewed open source and digital evidence – including approximately 2,000 photos and videos – showing recently manufactured or recently imported weapons in Sudan.

The organisation also claims that it interviewed 17 regional arms and Sudan experts between February and March 2024 to corroborate data analysis and investigate weapons supply lines used by various groups.

READ MORE: Women, girls paying heavy price for relentless war in Sudan.