French military equipment manufactured by the KNDS-France and Lacroix groups that equip Emirati armored vehicles is used in Sudan. ” breach “ of an arms embargo by the European Union (EU), Amnesty International denounced on Thursday, November 14.
“Our research shows that weapons systems designed and manufactured in France are used on the Sudanese battlefield”says the general secretary of the NGO Agnès Callamard, quoted in a press release.
According to Amnesty, Nimr Ajban troop transport vehicles manufactured in the United Arab Emirates by the national group Edge are used by the paramilitaries of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF). “in Sudan and probably in Darfur”.
These armored vehicles are equipped with the Galix self-protection system, designed by KNDS-France and Lacroix, according to images of destroyed vehicles released by Amnesty.
Equipped with sensors, the system can detect a threat and is equipped with several smoke or ammunition launching tubes (de-sergeant or “neutralization of personnel” located near the vehicle), Lacroix details on its website. More than 5,000 military vehicles around the world, including those of the French army, are equipped with it.
A war that left tens of thousands dead
At the request of Agence France-Presse, the General Secretariat of Defense and National Security (SGDSN), in charge of controlling exports of war material, did not read the report or comment, as did KNDS-France and Lacroix.
“The Galix system is deployed by RSF in this conflict, and any use in Darfur would constitute a clear violation of the UN arms embargo. “The French government must ensure that Lacroix Défense and KNDS-France immediately stop supplying this system to the United Arab Emirates.”denounces Agnès Callamard.
Sudan is subject to an EU embargo on arms sales, while the UN has imposed one since 2004 only for the Darfur region. The NGO requests its extension to the entire Sudanese territory.
“If France cannot guarantee through export controls, including end-user certification, that weapons will not be re-exported to Sudan, it should not authorize these transfers.”still believes the organization.
The war in Sudan, which has left tens of thousands dead, has pitted the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, against the FSR paramilitaries of his former deputy, General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, since April 2023. Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including indiscriminate bombing of populated areas, deliberate attacks on civilians and blocking humanitarian aid.
