Amnesty International has reported that armored vehicles manufactured by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and equipped with French defense systems have been seized by the Sudanese army during the ongoing civil war in Sudan. The rights group identified UAE-made armored personnel carriers (APCs) in various parts of Sudan, including the Darfur region, where they were utilized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
Amnesty International's report highlighted that the presence of these military vehicles on the battlefield likely violates a United Nations arms embargo prohibiting weapon transfers to Sudan. The civil war, which erupted in April 2023 due to escalating tensions between the RSF and the Sudanese army, has resulted in over 20,000 fatalities and forced 11.6 million individuals to flee their homes, with 8.3 million internally displaced and 3.1 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
The report confirmed the existence of Nimr Ajban APCs, manufactured in the UAE by Edge Group and equipped with the Galix reactive defense system produced by Lacroix Defense and KNDS France. The Galix system is designed to shield vehicles from threats by deploying projectiles, smoke, and decoys.
Amnesty International's Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, emphasized that the deployment of French-designed weaponry in Sudan is a breach of the U.N. arms embargo. The report called on the French government to ensure that Lacroix Defense and KNDS France cease supplying the Galix system to the UAE.
In response to the allegations, the UAE government refuted claims of supplying weapons to the RSF and accused the Sudanese army of spreading misinformation to discredit the UAE's foreign policy and humanitarian efforts. The UAE stated that it has informed the U.N. Security Council and international partners that it is not supporting any warring parties in Sudan.
Last month, the United States sanctioned Algoney Hamdan Daglo Musa, a senior RSF leader, for his involvement in weapon supply activities during the conflict. Algoney was found to control Tradive General Trading LLC, a UAE-based company that imported vehicles to Sudan for the RSF and outfitted them with machine guns.
