DTN News - SUDAN UNREST: Chinese, Russian Arms Fuel Darfur Abuse: Amnesty
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 11, 2012: Chinese-made bullets and aircraft bought from Russia are used to commit rights violations in Sudan's Darfur under an ineffective UN arms embargo, Amnesty International said on Thursday.
The London-based rights watchdog aired similar concerns five years ago but its latest report comes after "a new wave of fighting" between opposition groups and government forces over the past year.
"This has included targeted and ethnically motivated attacks on civilian settlements, and indiscriminate and disproportionate aerial bombings that have contributed to the displacement of an estimated 70,000 people from their homes and villages," Amnesty said.
It said China and Russia continue to supply weapons and munitions to Sudan despite "compelling evidence" they will be used against civilians in Darfur, the western region where rebel groups rose up against Khartoum's Arab-dominated government in 2003.
The exports also include attack jets, air-to-ground rockets and armoured vehicles, Amnesty said.
"China and Russia are selling arms to the government of Sudan in the full knowledge that many of them are likely to end up being used to commit human rights violations in Darfur," said Brian Wood, an expert on military and policing for Amnesty.
As an example, the group cited a December 1 incident in which the paramilitary Central Reserve Police carried out a "looting raid" in which one man was shot dead and six people were wounded in the Zam Zam camp for people displaced by the Darfur conflict.
Witnesses told Amnesty they found bullet cartridges marked with Chinese codes indicating their transfer to Darfur after the arms embargo began in 2004.
Amnesty said fighting in Darfur has been accompanied by a repeated pattern of airborne attacks on civilian and military targets using Sukhoi-25 jets, Mi-24 gunships and Antonov transport planes used as "rudimentary but effective bombers."
Sudan received 36 new Mi-24 helicopters from Russia between 2007 and 2009, a number which "undoubtedly" compensates for those lost during Darfur operations last year, Amnesty said.
"Their continual replacement by the Russian Federation makes it possible for such attacks to continue," despite a UN prohibition on airstrikes, it said.
Attacks on civilian settlements and property by armed opposition groups in Darfur have also persisted, in violation of international law, the group added. But it could not verify the origin of the rebels' military equipment -- much of which the rebels claimed to have captured from government forces.
The Sudanese Air Force (Arabic: القوّات الجوّيّة السودانيّة Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya As-Sudaniya) is the air force operated by the Republic of the Sudan. As such it is part of the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The air force flies a mixture of transport planes, fighter jets and helicopters sourced from places including the European Union, Russia, and the United States. However, not all the aircraft are in a fully functioning condition and the availability of spare parts is limited. In 1991, the two main air bases were at the capital Khartoum and Wadi Sayyidna near Omdurman.
Sudan has also made a successful deal to buy two different batches of 12 MiG-29 Russian fighter jets each. There are 23 MiG-29s in active service as of late 2008.However, the rebel Justice and Equality Movement claimed to have shot down one MiG-29 with large-caliber machine-gun fire on 10 May 2008, killing the pilot of the plane, a retired Russian Air Force fighter pilot; the Sudanese government denied the allegation.
Sudanese Air Force - Inventory (Info - courtesy Wikipedia)
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikoyan MiG-29 |  Russia | Fighter | MiG-29 | 23[4] | Active (One lost to anti-aircraft fire) |
| Chengdu F-7 Airguard |  People's Republic of China | Fighter | F-7M | 10[6] | Numbers in operational condition not confirmed. |
| Sukhoi Su-25 |  Soviet Union | Ground attack | Su-25 | 16 | 15 delivered to Sudan by Belarus 2008 |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 | Soviet Union | Fighter-bomber | MiG-23BN | 3[6] | Active. |
| Hongdu JL-8or K-8 | People's Republic of China/ Pakistan | Trainer/light attack | 6 | Active | |
| Nanchang A-5 | People's Republic of China | Ground attack | A-5 | 15[6] | Delivered 2003. Possibly up to 20 may be in service. Sighted in the South Darfur region based at Nyala Airport. |
| Shaanxi Y-8 | People's Republic of China | Transport / multipurpose | 20 | ||
| Antonov An-24 | Soviet Union /  Ukraine | Transport | An-24RV | 15 | |
| Antonov An-26 | Soviet Union | Transport | An-26 | 10 | In use as an improvised bomber.[7] |
| CASA C.212 Aviocar |  Spain | Transport | CASA C.212-200 Aviocar | 20 | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo |  Canada | Transport | DHC-5D | 3 | |
| Fokker F.27 Friendship |  Netherlands | Transport | F.27 Mk 100 | 1[6] | VIP flights only |
| Dassault Falcon 20 |  France | Transport | Dassault Falcon 20F | 1 | VIP flights only |
| Dassault Falcon 50 | France | Transport | Dassault Falcon 50 | 1 | VIP flights only |
| Lockheed C-130 Hercules |  United States | Transport | C-130H | 4 (IISS 2009) | Active. |
| IAR 330 Puma |  Romania | Transport/search and rescue | ICA IAR-330L PUMA | 24 | Active. |
| Agusta-Bell AB212 Twin Huey | United States | Transport | AB212 | 48 | Active. |
| MBB Bo 105 |  Germany | Transport/ attack/search and rescue | Bo 105CB | 20 | Active. |
| Mil Mi-8 | Soviet Union | Transport | Mi-8T | ~20 (plus unknown number of Mil Mi-171 variants. 3 Confirmed) | Active. |
| Mil Mi-24 | Soviet Union | Helicopter gunship | Mi-24D/Mi-24V/Mi-24P | ~54 | Active. 8 Mil Mi-24 Helicopters rumoured to be in Dafur region operating from Nyala Airport |
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AMNESTY: IMPORTED ARMS FUELING DARFUR CONFLICT
*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AFP
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