AFRICA/SUDAN – Arms traffickers thrive while the population is in despair

Khartoum – While the humanitarian situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate, arms trafficking with the warring parties is thriving. A report published today, October 20, by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime shows that the conflict that broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the militias of the Rapid Support Forces is fueled by two parallel arms supply chains: an official one, primarily intended for the SAF and supported by some States with aircraft and military convoys, and an illegal one, with informal shipments handled by smugglers, brokers, and criminal networks that have reactivated old smuggling routes through Darfur, eastern Chad, and southern Libya. The latest report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for the month of September, however, reports a deterioration in the humanitarian situation in conflict-affected areas in Sudan. The hotspots remain Darfur and Kordofan, where fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces militias has left basic services such as healthcare, food, and water largely inaccessible to the local population. Particularly in North Darfur and the town of El Fasher, which is besieged by RSF troops, the humanitarian situation has further deteriorated with the intensification of hostilities. “Bombardments have become increasingly indiscriminate, targeting densely populated neighborhoods and settlements of displaced people,” the report states. “The civilian population is subjected to all forms of violence, including sexual violence, forced recruitment, and arbitrary detention.” “On September 20,” the report states, “the United Nations complex in El Fasher was attacked, resulting in the loss of vehicles, supplies, and equipment.” Hostilities in the Kordofan region, however, have resumed on three fronts in the north, west, and south of El-Obeid, making humanitarian aid impossible in the active fighting zones. El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, is a strategic hub connecting the capital Khartoum with Darfur. “The towns of Dilling and Kadugli in Southern Kordofan have been under siege for over a year. Humanitarian workers have faced constant dangers, including abductions, detention, and intimidation,” OCHA said. The humanitarian situation was further aggravated by floods and the cholera epidemic, which also affected the capital, Khartoum. The latter was also not spared from drone attacks targeting electricity and water supplies, leading to prolonged disruptions and exacerbating the consequences of the cholera, dengue, and malaria epidemics.

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