British-made military equipment found in Sudan, used by militia accused of genocide. Documents seen by the UN security council reveal that the UK-supplied arms were used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group charged with war crimes and atrocities against civilians.
The equipment includes small-arms target systems and engines for armoured personnel carriers, which have been recovered from combat sites in Sudan's conflict. The discovery raises questions about the UK government's role in fuelling the crisis.
Months after initial reports of potential British-made arms being supplied to the UAE, new data indicates that the UK gave further licenses to export military equipment to the Gulf state for use by forces accused of international crimes.
British-made engines have been found on vehicles allegedly used by the RSF, manufactured by an Emirati company. The vehicles are described as having been captured or recovered from RSF positions.
The UAE has repeatedly denied supplying arms to the RSF, but new evidence suggests that some British-made components were included in these supplies.
A Cummins spokesperson said: "Cummins has a strong compliance culture... We reviewed all our past transactions and did not identify any military transactions where Sudan was indicated as the end-use destination."
The discovery highlights concerns over Britain's export of arms to the UAE, which has been accused of arming forces involved in international conflicts.
The equipment includes small-arms target systems and engines for armoured personnel carriers, which have been recovered from combat sites in Sudan's conflict. The discovery raises questions about the UK government's role in fuelling the crisis.
Months after initial reports of potential British-made arms being supplied to the UAE, new data indicates that the UK gave further licenses to export military equipment to the Gulf state for use by forces accused of international crimes.
British-made engines have been found on vehicles allegedly used by the RSF, manufactured by an Emirati company. The vehicles are described as having been captured or recovered from RSF positions.
The UAE has repeatedly denied supplying arms to the RSF, but new evidence suggests that some British-made components were included in these supplies.
A Cummins spokesperson said: "Cummins has a strong compliance culture... We reviewed all our past transactions and did not identify any military transactions where Sudan was indicated as the end-use destination."
The discovery highlights concerns over Britain's export of arms to the UAE, which has been accused of arming forces involved in international conflicts.
this is really messed up. like the UK just openly supplied arms to a country that's been linked to genocide and war crimes, and now it's coming back to haunt them. it's not like they're trying to hide it or anything, just like... how did this even happen? 
and what about all those other countries that are gonna start taking notice? we can't just keep exporting arms to whoever wants 'em without thinking about the consequences, you know? 
just found out that british made arms were used by militia in sudan like genocide lol how can uk goverment do this?? 
. britian needs 2 explain how this happend and wat r dey gonna do abt it 
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The recent discovery of British-made engines on vehicles allegedly used by the RSF is particularly concerning, as it suggests a possible breach of international arms export regulations. The UAE's denials notwithstanding, new evidence points to the UK's complicity in supplying military equipment that may be contributing to human rights abuses. This raises questions about Britain's role as a responsible arms exporter and its commitment to upholding humanitarian principles. 
. And the UAE denying it all along... it just smells fishy 
. I'm not saying the UK is directly responsible or anything, but it's like they're putting band-aids on bullet holes 
. We need to get to the bottom of this and make sure we're not arming people who are gonna use that stuff for evil 
This is a super awkward situation for the UK. I mean, they're trying to play it cool on the whole thing, but it's hard not to see where this is going to lead. The fact that British-made arms are being used by the RSF, who've got a pretty bad rep when it comes to human rights abuses, raises serious questions about whether the UK was aware of what they were doing. 
So, nice job by the UK on making some new friends in Sudan... just what you need, more conflict 
You review all your past transactions and somehow miss the whole part where Sudan is the end-use destination? That's what I call a strong compliance culture... 
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The fact that these arms were used in genocide and war crimes just makes it even worse 
. And now we know that Cummins engines were part of this supply chain too... 
That's some pretty bad business practices if you ask me 
. I hope the UN takes action and gets to the bottom of this 
. It's just not right that innocent people are getting hurt because of some governments' decisions 
... it just feels like history is repeating itself, you know?
, I mean how can we trust that all these weapons are being used for their intended purpose and not just being sold to whoever is willing to pay? This militia group accused of genocide is just a symptom of a bigger problem with the way arms are being traded around the world. It's like, what's really going on here? The UK government says they had no idea these licenses were being issued, but how can we trust that when there's this much evidence pointing to them knowing more than they're letting on?
And now we got this Cummins guy saying their company is all about compliance, but if you look at it, it seems like they turned a blind eye to what was going down. I mean, who gives arms licenses to a country that's basically been accused of being involved in some pretty shady stuff?