British-made military equipment, sold to the UAE, is being used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for massacres, mass displacement, and starvation in Sudan.
The RSF is committing genocide in Sudan. This includes killing more than 150,000 people, forcing 12 million people to flee their homes, and using starvation as a weapon of war. There are almost 25 million people facing acute hunger and 8 million facing famine.
Military equipment sold to the UAE has been discovered in combat zones in Sudan. This includes British engines, made by Cummins Inc found in armoured vehicles and British-made small weapons target devices made by Militec. Militec was granted an export licence to UAE for the same equipment that was found in Sudan in each of 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Despite the UK government knowing that the UAE has diverted arms exports from other countries to the RSF, the UAE remains one of the UK’s biggest arms customers. In the past three years, the UK has exported £417 million worth of arms exports to the UAE. This includes £113m worth of aircraft and their components, £111m of target acquisition, weapons control systems, and related countermeasures and components, £110m of military electronic equipment, and £32m of bombs, missiles, grenades etc. and related countermeasures and components.
However, instead of taking action and suspending arms sales, this government has courted yet more arms sales, even issuing an official government invitation to the UAE to attend the DSEI arms fair in September. The UK government has also tried to repress criticism of the UAE’s role in Sudan, prioritising arms sales over condemning and challenging the UAE’s supply of military equipment to the RSF.
The UK arms trade is out of control. Successive governments have repeatedly lied, claiming the UK has the most robust arms export control system in the world. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We have an arms export system that exists to maximise arms dealers profits no matter what atrocities are committed using British military equipment.
UK arms companies do not care that their equipment is used to commit genocide. They do not care about Sudanese lives. They only care about their shareholders profits.
This has to end. We cannot stand by while British companies profit from multiple genocides. They have blood on their hands and it is down to all of us to hold both the companies, and this government, accountable for their actions.
