Amnesty International says US-allied weapons are fueling the civil war in Sudan

Johannesburg – It is often referred to as the forgotten argument, however the civil war that has divided Sudan 19 months fueling the world's greatest disaster. In just over a year and a half, 13 million people have been driven from their homes. At least one densely populated refugee camp is already facing starvation, while other parts of the country are suffering despite famine-like conditions.

Outbreaks of dengue fever, malaria, cholera and measles are hitting children hard, as the collapse of the education system keeps nearly 90% of Sudanese children out of school.

A war broke out in April 2023 between the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. I Violence followed months of conflict between the two top generals in charge of the country – former co-leaders of the army and the RSF – during talks aimed at fully integrating the RSF into the army before the formation of a new transitional government.

Negotiations broke down and tensions soon escalated into a full-scale battle between well-armed factions. The US government, along with international partners, have tried to broker a peace deal, but no progress has been made. The Biden administration, on the other hand, has punished people and companies aligned with both sides of the war over human rights allegations. torture and war crimes.

Journalists and aid officials have been largely barred from going to the country to report on the conflict in person, but independent researchers say the number of deaths from the war has not been reported. According to a study published this week by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, an estimated 61,000 people died in Khartoum State alone, which is home to the capital of the same name, between April 2023 and June 2024.

The study found that more than 90% of those deaths were never recorded, but the death toll is much higher than previously thought.

The study estimates that there have actually been more violent deaths in Khartoum province than the current official death toll for the rest of the country.

“Our findings reveal the serious and invisible impact of war on Sudanese lives, especially preventable diseases and hunger, said the report's lead author Dr. Maysoon Dahab, adding that the “shocking level of killing” in central Kordofan and western Darfur regions “shows wars within wars.”

Fears of a bloody RSF attack on El Fasher as hunger strikes the IDP camp

The Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab, in another report published this week, said that RSF forces are advancing on the town of El Fasher in Darfur from three directions. The RSF is expected to launch an attack on the city at any moment, which analysts fear will result in thousands of deaths.

If El Fasher falls to the RSF, there are concerns that the group will attack the nearby Zamzam camp, home to an estimated 500,000 civilians displaced by the war. Referring to satellite images, Yale's HRL said the camp, which is still under the control of the Sudanese military, has doubled in size in recent days, as new defensive positions are visible, indicating preparations for an attack.

Famine was officially declared in the Zamzam camp in early August, with aid workers warning that thousands of children would die in the coming weeks without access to healthy food.

Amnesty International says that weapons from the UAE and France in Sudan

The war in Sudan has been complicated by the support and supply of weapons from foreign countries to both sides. A new report by Amnesty International says that the RSF uses weapons provided by the United Arab Emirates, which is allied with the US, and is equipped with military technology made in France.

Amnesty experts warned that those weapons could be used by the RSF to commit other alleged war crimes.

A July report by the rights group said there is a constant supply of weapons from the UAE, China, Russia, Turkey and Yemen to Sudan, and often to Darfur, in violation of a long-standing United Nations arms embargo in the region.

The report said that Amnesty found evidence of RSF soldiers using newly manufactured UAE armored personnel carriers called Nimr Ajban, armed with Galix weapons made in France, in many areas of Sudan, including Darfur.

Amnesty said it had verified photos shared on social media showing APCs armed with Galix systems.

In a statement sent to CBS News, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country “firmly rejects any claims of supplying arms or troops to any warring party since the outbreak of hostilities” in Sudan.

“The cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and Sudan has included various types of aid provided to the Government of Sudan between 2019 and 2021,” said the minister, adding that the previous support “was in line with our obligations under international law” and the new one was abolished. claims as part of a “coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at undermining our foreign policy, regional role, and humanitarian efforts” led by the Sudanese military.

Amnesty has called on the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo on Darfur, which has been in place for almost 20 years, to cover all of Sudan.

“He continued to support the military [RSF] due to the complexity of the situation in Sudan, and the involvement of several internal and external actors, it is an important factor in the continuation of the war,” said the acting Charge DÁffairs in Sudan in South Africa, Dr. Nawal Ahmed Mukhtar, told a group of journalists this week “This must end in order to end killings and crimes.”

A team of experts sent by the UN Security Council arrived in Sudan earlier this week to investigate and document alleged war crimes committed by the RSF.

This is the first UN fact-finding mission since the war broke out last year, despite months of reports that both starvation and rape are being inflicted on Sudanese civilians.