Arms from Russia and China fueling conflict in Sudan
9th February, 2012
According to Amnesty International, arms sales from China and Russia are fuelling serious human rights violations in Darfur.
These arms transfers highlight the urgent need to strengthen the existing ineffectual UN arms embargo and for governments to agree an effective Arms Trade Treaty.
A document, Sudan: No end to the conflict in Darfur shows how China, Russia, and Belarus continue to supply weapons and ammunitions to Sudan despite compelling evidence that the arms will be used against civilians in Darfur.
An estimated 70,000 people were displaced from eastern Darfur in 2011 in a wave of ethnically targeted attacks against the Zaghawa community by Sudanese government forces and militias.
The Darfur conflict is sustained by the constant flow of weapons from abroad. To help prevent further serious violations of human rights, all international arms transfers to Sudan should be immediately suspended and the UN arms embargo extended to the whole country.
Until governments agree a strong Arms Trade Treaty with specific rules to respect human rights, UN arms embargoes will continue to be flouted and millions of people will continue to suffer the consequences of irresponsible arms transfers, as they do in Darfur.
