Cairo — Amnesty International has reported that armored vehicles produced by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), integrated with French defense technology, have been seized by the Sudanese army amid the ongoing civil war in Sudan.
The organization released its findings in a report on Thursday, stating that it has traced these UAE-made armored personnel carriers (APCs) across various regions of Sudan, particularly in the conflict-ridden Darfur region, where they have reportedly been utilized by the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as they engage in combat with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
Amnesty noted that the deployment of these military vehicles in the ongoing conflict likely breaches the United Nations arms embargo, which restricts the flow of arms to Sudan.
The fighting began in April 2023, fueled by escalating tensions between the RSF and the Sudanese army. This conflict has led to severe human rights abuses throughout North Africa, resulting in over 20,000 fatalities, as estimated by the U.N. Furthermore, the turmoil has displaced 11.6 million individuals, with 8.3 million displaced internally and approximately 3.1 million fleeing to neighboring nations.
The UAE has denied Sudan’s allegations of supplying the RSF with arms, asserting that such claims extend from a broader misinformation campaign aimed at disrupting its foreign policy and humanitarian commitments.
According to Amnesty’s report, multiple instances of Nimr Ajban APCs were confirmed through social media evidence showing vehicles either captured or destroyed by the Sudanese military.
These armored vehicles are reportedly manufactured by Edge Group in the UAE and fitted with the Galix reactive defense system produced in France by Lacroix Defense and KNDS France. This system is engineered to shield vehicles from approaching threats utilizing projectiles, smoke, and decoys, as described on Lacroix’s official website.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, asserted, “Our research indicates that weaponry produced in France is actively deployed on the battlefield in Sudan.” She emphasized that the use of the Galix system by RSF forces in Darfur constitutes a clear violation of the U.N. arms embargo, urging the French government to prohibit the supply of this system to the UAE.
Lacroix has been approached through their website for further comment. In response to Amnesty’s findings, a spokesperson for the Emirati government criticized the report, describing the UAE as a target of disinformation orchestrated to undermine its regional influence and humanitarian efforts.
“It is utterly unacceptable that representatives of the SAF continue to make accusations against the UAE regarding our involvement in the ongoing conflict,” the spokesperson stated, asserting that the UAE is engaged in humanitarian initiatives aimed at assisting those affected in Sudan.
Additionally, the UAE has informed the U.N. Security Council and international partners that it does not supply assistance to the RSF or any factions involved in the Sudanese conflict.
In related developments, last month, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Algoney Hamdan Daglo Musa, a top RSF leader and brother of the group’s commander, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, for allegedly orchestrating arms supplies during the ongoing war. Algoney is associated with the UAE-based Tradive General Trading LLC, which has reportedly secured vehicles for the RSF and retrofitted them with weaponry.