Sudan’s devastating civil conflict has taken a new turn with revelations from Amnesty International that sophisticated Chinese weapons, originally sold to the United Arab Emirates, have been deployed by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This marks a direct violation of the United Nations arms embargo on Darfur, raising serious questions about regional arms transfers and accountability.
According to Amnesty’s investigation, video footage and photographs have confirmed the RSF’s use of Chinese-made GB50A guided bombs and 155mm AH-4 howitzers in attacks on Khartoum and across the war-ravaged Darfur region. These weapons, manufactured by Norinco Group, a Chinese state-owned arms producer, were legally exported to the UAE in a 2019 arms deal, making Abu Dhabi the only known international buyer of the AH-4 artillery system.
“This is clear evidence that sophisticated Chinese-made guided bombs and howitzers have been used in Sudan,” said Brian Castner, Amnesty’s head of crisis research. He added that the GB50A bombs had never been previously documented in combat, making this a significant and alarming first.
The Sudanese government reacted strongly to the findings, severing diplomatic ties with the UAE earlier this week. It accused Abu Dhabi of supplying strategic weaponry to the RSF, which has been locked in a brutal conflict with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 13 million people, creating one of the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.
Despite mounting evidence from Amnesty, UN experts, and other international observers, the UAE continues to deny arming the RSF. Nonetheless, the documentation presented by Amnesty bolsters claims of indirect arms transfers via regional allies, circumventing global embargoes.
Amnesty condemned the UN Security Council for its failure to enforce the Darfur arms embargo or expand it to encompass all of Sudan. The rights group had previously highlighted weapons transfers from China, Russia, Turkey, and France into Sudan’s conflict zones.
As the RSF intensifies drone strikes in eastern Sudan, including strategic sites in Port Sudan, international pressure is mounting for more stringent arms control and a reevaluation of global arms trade practices in conflict zones.
