UN Members Accused of Supplying Arms to Sudan
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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
November 16, 2004
Posted to the web November 16, 2004
Alex Kiprotich
Nairobi
Amnesty International has implicated four permanent members of the UN Security Council in the supply of arms to Sudan.
In a report released yesterday at a Nairobi hotel, the organisation accused the Security Council of doing little to stop the sale of arms to the war-torn country.
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Countries breaking the arms embargo are France, China, USSR, United Kingdom and United States among others.
Arms brokers in Ireland and UK, the report says, were involved in negotiations to supply £2.25 million worth of arms to Sudan in September.
Amnesty Arms and Security Director Brian Wood said the July resolution passed by the Security Council preventing the supply of military equipment to militias has not been honoured.
The resolution outlawed the sale and supply of military and police equipment to the warring groups in Sudan.
Woods appealed to the Security Council to impose a mandatory arms embargo on the government of Sudan to stop military supplies from reaching the parties in Darfur.
The report indicated that military planes and helicopters used to bomb villages and support ground attacks on civilians were sold to Sudan by companies in Russia, China and Belarus.
Small arms and light weapons are exported to Sudan mainly from China, France, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
France is cited as the largest exporter of bombs, grenades and ammunition. Between 2000 and 2001, it exported military items worth US $268,612.
China supplied parts and accessories for shotguns, pistols and revolvers worth US$978,172, while Saudi Arabia exported military weapons worth US$58,329.
The report said such equipment has been used to help launch indiscriminate and direct attacks on civilians.
Woods also urged the states mentioned in the report to immediately suspend transfers of all types of arms and related logistical and security supplies to Sudan.
"The armed forces and militias use these arms to commit grave human rights abuses and war crimes thus the states supplying should stop," said woods.
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He said resolutions passed by the Security Council should be taken seriously by all countries and those breaking them be held responsible.
"Resolutions passed by the UN should be respected and a specific monitoring body shoud be established to ensure no one violates the resolutions," he said.
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