British-Made weapons found in Sudan’s war, raise questions over western complicity in genocide

British-manufactured military equipment has been discovered on Sudanese battlefields controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of genocide and widespread atrocities, according to a report by The Guardian UK, citing documents presented to the United Nations Security Council.

The revelation, which points to the presence of UK-made small-arms systems and engines for armoured vehicles, raises renewed concerns over Britain’s arms exports and their possible role in fuelling one of Africa’s deadliest ongoing conflicts.

Fierce clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF have intensified in recent months as both sides seek to consolidate territorial control. Fighting has been particularly fierce around El Fasher, in North Darfur, and in the Kordofan region.

A Washington Post report on 29 September revealed that the RSF now possesses anti-aircraft weapons, drones, and surface-to-air missiles. On the same day, researchers from the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at Yale School of Public Health identified at least 43 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 36 launchers near the RSF-controlled Nyala airport in South Darfur.

According to a recent UN Security Council report: “Regional and international initiatives to address the crisis in Sudan have continued, but a meaningful breakthrough remains elusive, as the positions of both Sudanese warring parties and key member states have become entrenched.

In recent months, the Quad countries: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United States, met at the ministerial level on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to continue discussions on ways to restore peace and security in Sudan.

That same day, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), France, Germany, and the United Kingdom convened a separate ministerial meeting with regional and international stakeholders to address the worsening situation in Sudan and coordinate efforts towards de-escalation and the protection of civilians.

The war, now entering its third year, has killed an estimated 150,000 people, displaced more than 12 million, and left nearly 24 million Sudanese facing acute hunger. Both the SAF and RSF stand accused of war crimes, including the targeting of civilians.

Documents reviewed by the UN Security Council and compiled by the Sudanese military include photographs of UK-made small-arms target devices and engines recovered from RSF-controlled areas in Khartoum and Omdurman.

Labels on the equipment indicate they were produced by Militec, a manufacturer based in Mid Glamorgan, Wales. Records show that the UK government has granted multiple export licences to Militec and other companies to ship military training systems to the UAE since 2013.

The Guardian UK reported that between January 2015 and September 2024, the British government issued 26 licences for the permanent export of military training devices in the “ML14” category, which includes products manufactured by Militec, to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The report also revealed that on 27 September 2024, three months after the United Nations first received evidence of British-made equipment in Sudan, the UK government approved an open individual export licence for the same category of products to the UAE. Such licences allow unlimited quantities of equipment to be exported without strict end-use monitoring.

The UAE has repeatedly denied allegations that it provides military support to the RSF. However, the findings have drawn renewed scrutiny of its activities and London’s export oversight.

British-made engines have also been found in Nimr Ajban-series armoured personnel carriers (APCs), produced by the UAE’s state-owned Edge Group. These vehicles have previously been documented in conflicts in Libya and Yemen, despite UN arms embargoes.

A photograph in the 2025 UN dossier shows a data plate on a Nimr APC engine marked “Made in Great Britain by Cummins Inc”, indicating that it was manufactured on 16 June 2016.

By that time, the UK government was aware that the UAE had supplied Nimr APCs to armed groups in Libya and Somalia in violation of embargoes.

Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of the UN panel of experts on Sudan, said: “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. 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.”

He added that, “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.”

Abdallah Idriss Abugarda, chair of the UK-based Darfur Diaspora Association, also called for a full investigation, “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,” he said.

A spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) defended the country’s export regime: “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. We expect all countries to comply with their obligations under existing UN sanctions regimes.”

Officials insist that export licences are issued on a case-by-case basis and regularly refused when there is a clear risk of misuse. However, the continued discovery of British-made components in active conflict zones has raised questions about the effectiveness of those safeguards.

As the RSF and SAF continue their deadly struggle, and as global powers debate responsibility, the images of British-made weapons on Sudanese soil have become symbolic of a deeper reality, Africa’s wars are often armed from abroad, but the devastation remains profoundly local.