According to a report released Thursday by Amnesty International, the United Arab Emirates has violated a U.N. arms embargo by providing Sudan with sophisticated Chinese-made weapons. According to the rights group, among the weaponry found in Khartoum were Chinese 155mm AH-4 howitzers and GB50A guided bombs. According to Amnesty International, the guided bombs, which were produced by China’s state-owned Norinco Group, were the first known deployment of such weapons in a war.
According to the analysis, China should stop selling to the United Arab Emirates as a signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty in order to stop weapons from getting to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organization that has been charged with sexual assault, rights violations, and ethnic cleansing.
In light of similar conclusions by the UN Panel of Experts on Sudan and other assessments, this shows that the UAE is still supporting the RSF. Amnesty International has already released proof of the UAE’s breaches of the arms embargo, including its provision of Wing Loong drones in Libya.
Brian Castner, head of crisis research at Amnesty International, stated,
“This is unmistakable proof that advanced Chinese-made guided bombs and howitzers have been used in Sudan.”
He referred to the recent arrival of Chinese-made munitions in North Darfur as a “blatant breach” of the UAE ban.
Castner made reference to the U.N. prohibition on arms exports to Darfur, an area currently dominated by the RSF, saying, “Global inaction is causing civilians to be killed and injured while the UAE continues to flout the embargo.”
He stated that international arms exports to the UAE should likewise cease until it complies and that the UAE must immediately suspend arms deliveries to the RSF. The revelation follows Sudan’s security council’s announcement on Tuesday that it was cutting diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates due to the latter’s purported backing for the RSF. The action came after a Sudanese complaint alleging the UAE of participation in genocide was dismissed by the International Court of Justice.
Beginning early Sunday, drone attacks bombarded Port Sudan, the seat of Sudan’s army-backed administration and de facto capital. The strikes have not been attributed to the RSF, which has been engaged in combat with the Sudanese Armed Forces since April 2023. The strikes were denounced by the UAE.
Before hitting the neighboring Osman Digna air base, the drones damaged the roof and interior of Sudan’s only operational civilian airport. According to regional reports, the UAE has already acquired similar aircraft, while a Sudanese army spokeswoman referred to them as “kamikaze drones.” According to Amnesty, one of the weapons used was a Norinco GB50A guided bomb, which is manufactured in China.
After another drone strike, the Sudanese authorities shuttered the airport on Sunday and reopened it on Monday.
According to Aida Elsayed Abdallah of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, “the strikes on civilian infrastructure will add to the already unimaginable suffering of Sudan’s people.” She claimed that damage to power plants and airports makes it more difficult to bring clean water, food, and medical assistance. Tens of thousands of people have died and more than 12.5 million have been displaced by the conflict. Widespread human rights abuses have been alleged against the RSF and SAF.
Last week, Refugees International’s Abdullahi Halakhe told The Associated Press that the United Arab Emirates was supporting a “genocide” in Sudan in order to stifle regional democratic aspirations. He claimed that Sudan was the most recent manifestation of the Arab Spring and the rise of any workable administration in Libya. But because of its “toxic” reputation, he said, the UAE will eventually leave the RSF, adding, “A collapsed Sudan is not in their interests either.”