Sudan Accused of Violating UN Arms Embargo

A UN report has accused the Sudanese government of flying weapons into conflict-ridden Darfur in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

The briefing, compiled by a panel of experts charged with assisting the Security Council’s Sudan Sanctions Committee in monitoring compliance with resolutions on Darfur, was leaked to the media April 17 by a diplomat on the committee. The committee, which includes all 15 members of the Security Council, has decided not to make the report public after objections were raised by three member states.

According to the report, the Sudanese government has been transporting weapons, ammunition, and other military equipment into Darfur without prior authorization from the sanctions committee. The arms embargo only applies to Darfur, and Sudan continues to obtain weapons from multiple sources, including China, which recently announced plans to enhance cooperation with the Sudanese military. Russia also reported to the 2006 UN Register of Conventional Arms that it exported 12 attack helicopters to Sudan in 2005.

Despite EU sanctions against the sale or transfer of weapons to Sudan, a British company, Dallex Trade, was recently discovered to have been importing ammunition into the country. In an unrelated incident, Land Rover has been accused of supplying off-road vehicles to the Sudanese police, who have subsequently mounted them with machine guns.

The UN report also alleges that the Sudanese government has painted military aircraft white to disguise them as UN planes. The planes have been observed operating out of Darfur’s three main airports and are suspected of conducting aerial surveillance and bombardment of villages in the region.

In an April 20 interview with Arms Control Today, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem, Sudan’s permanent representative to the UN, categorically rejected the report’s findings. He said that weapons flowing into the hands of nonstate actors in Darfur were coming from “sources outside of Sudan,” such as Chad, which he described as a “traditional rebel supporter.”

Abdalhaleem also defended the presence of military aircraft in Darfur, stating that “Sudan is not a demilitarized country” and is legitimately restationing aircraft from southern Sudan as required under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended a 21-year civil war in that region. He denied that any planes had been painted white, insisting that photographic evidence of such aircraft was taken in other African countries.

In light of the report’s findings, the United States and the United Kingdom have stated their intention to pursue tough new sanctions against Sudan, such as expanding the arms embargo, imposing financial and travel bans on a broadened list of Sudanese officials said to be responsible for abuses in Darfur, and implementing an international no-fly zone over Darfur. Security Council members China, Russia, and South Africa have all voiced objections to such a move. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the Security Council to refrain from imposing sanctions while he continues to press for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Darfur.

News of the report came in the wake of Sudan’s decision to allow the UN to deploy a “heavy support package” comprised of 2,250 UN peacekeepers, 750 international police, and logistical and aviation equipment to assist the 7,000 African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops already stationed in Darfur. Khartoum continues to refuse UN and AU requests for the deployment of a 20,000-strong UN-AU force.

Abdalhaleem stated that Sudan was still committed to allowing UN forces to enter Darfur despite the threat of new sanctions. He said the country would “not fall into a trap” set by those states seeking to “spoil the peace process.”