New York (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The UN Security Council heard that UK-made weapons are used by Sudan’s RSF, accused of genocide, raising serious concerns over UK arms exports.
As reported by The Guardian, UN Security Council documents show British military gear found in Sudan, used by the Rapid Support Forces linked to genocide.
Small-arms target devices and British engines for armoured personnel carriers were recovered on Sudanese battlefields, raising concerns amid the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
How did British equipment end up with Sudan’s RSF?
UK weapons exports to the United Arab Emirates face fresh scrutiny, after reports they reached Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The findings also cast doubt on Britain’s role in escalating Sudan’s violence.
Despite UN warnings over the UAE supplying UK-made arms to the RSF, the British government continued exporting military equipment of the same type.
UK-manufactured engines for a type of UAE armoured personnel carrier were shipped even though the vehicles had been used in Libya and Yemen, violating UN sanctions.
The Emirati government has repeatedly denied providing military support to the RSF.
The conflict between Sudan’s RSF and military, now in its third year, has claimed 150,000 lives, displaced over 12 million, and left 25 million facing hunger.
UN Security Council sources have revealed two Sudanese dossiers from June 2024 and March 2025, documenting the alleged supply of UK military equipment to the RSF by the UAE in Sudan.
Evidence shows British military equipment continued reaching the UAE, raising fears it could fuel Sudan’s conflict.
Images in two UN Security Council dossiers indicate British-made target systems were seized from RSF sites in Sudan’s capital and Omdurman.
Labels on multiple images indicate they were made by Militec, a small-arms training and target systems firm in Mid Glamorgan, Wales, despite verification challenges.
Records show Britain issued Militec licences to export equipment to the UAE as far back as 2013.
Recent figures show that between January 2015 and September 2024, Britain approved 26 licences to export Militec’s ML14 military training devices to the UAE.
Militec and 13 other firms were granted licences, though the government declined to reveal which company received which permit.
British authorities approved an ‘open individual export licence’ to the UAE on 27 September, following UN reports of ML14 small-arms in Sudan.
The open licence allows Britain to export unlimited equipment to the UAE, without tracking its final destination.
The UN panel overseeing Darfur’s arms embargo reported in January 2024 that claims of the UAE arming the RSF were “credible.”
What did the evidence show about UK-made gear reaching RSF in Sudan?
Britain had received intelligence indicating that UAE-based firms could be used to divert small arms accessories. Despite these warnings, UK-made night-vision sights were exported to a UAE company and were later acquired by Taliban fighters.
Militec did not comment when approached. According to reports, the company’s operations are fully authorised by UK regulators, with no evidence of wrongdoing.
UN diplomats received dossiers showing Nimr Ajban-series armoured personnel carriers reportedly captured from RSF positions.
The UAE-based, predominantly state-owned Edge Group manufactures the Nimr Ajban APCs.
The 2025 document included a photo of a Nimr APC engine plate reading “Made in Great Britain by Cummins Inc,” showing it was manufactured on 16 June 2016.
By 2016, the UK government knew the UAE had supplied Nimr APCs to armed groups in violation of a UN arms embargo.
Security Council documents show that the UAE supplied armoured vehicles to Zintani militias in Libya in 2013.
UK authorities have no licence records for the British-made engines, which are not solely designed for military use and do not require a special licence.
What did Mike Lewis say about UK arms licences to Sudan?
Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-member of the UN panel of experts on Sudan, stated,
“UK and treaty law straightforwardly obliges the government not to authorise arms exports where there is a clear risk of diversion – or use in international crimes.”
He said,
“Security council investigators have documented in detail the UAE’s decade-long history of diverting arms to embargoed countries and to forces violating international humanitarian law.”
Mr Lewis added,
“Even before this further information about British-made equipment in Sudan, these licences should not have been issued, any more than to other governments responsible for arming the Sudan conflict.”
What did Abdallah Idriss Abugarda say about UK arms to Sudan?
Abdallah Idriss, head of the UK-based Darfur Diaspora Association, called for an urgent investigation into the issue.
He stated,
“The international community, including the UK, must urgently investigate how this transfer occurred and ensure that no British technology or weaponry contributes to the suffering of innocent Sudanese civilians. Accountability and strict end use monitoring are essential to prevent further complicity in these grave crimes.”
How does Cummins respond to concerns over Sudan exports?
A Cummins spokesperson stated,
“Cummins has a strong compliance culture as evidenced by our 10 ethical principles set out in our code of business conduct. Our code explicitly covers compliance with applicable sanctions and export controls in the jurisdictions in which Cummins conducts business, and in some cases our policies go even further than applicable legal requirements.”
They said,
“Cummins also has a strong policy against participating in any transaction – direct or indirect – with any arms embargoed destination without full and complete authorisation from the relevant governmental authorities. Cummins has a process to thoroughly review all defence transactions to evaluate legal and policy considerations, and under that program we have regularly obtained export licenses where legally required, as well as applied other compliance measures,”
adding,
“With respect to Sudan specifically, we reviewed all our past transactions and did not identify any military transactions where Sudan was indicated as the end-use destination.”
What did the FCDO say about export licences and sanctions?
A spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated,
“The UK has one of the most robust and transparent export control regimes in the world. All export licences are assessed for the risk of diversion to an undesirable end user or end use.”
They added,
“We expect all countries to comply with their obligations under existing UN sanctions regimes.”
Sudan conflict between SAF and RSF
The conflict is between the Sudanese Armed Forces, the official military led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The war broke out on April 15, 2023, primarily due to a power struggle between the two generals. Tensions escalated over a planned integration of the RSF into the regular army, which would have dissolved Hemedti’s independent power base.
The conflict has caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. It has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displaced millions of people.