A civil war has been raging in Sudan since April 2023: government forces are fighting the largest paramilitary force, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Le Monde writes about: the RSF (ie the rebels) use armored vehicles manufactured in the United Arab Emirates, which they are equipped with French-made Galix protection systems.
These systems are manufactured by Franco-German KNDS and French Lacroix Defense.
The European Union previously imposed an arms embargo on Sudan, and the transfer violates this provision. Le Monde did not explicitly accuse French military companies of knowingly violating the embargo: the defense systems were probably sold to the Emirates, where a military company called Edge Group installed them in its own products. The Emirates – the RSF’s biggest backer – then handed over the weapons to the Sudanese rebels.
KNDS is best known here for its armored vehicle projects: they built the Boxer AFV, further developed the Leopard 2 tank, and they are also building the next Franco-German joint tank project, the aim of which is to replace the Leopard 2 and French Leclerc tank.
Cover image source: Jason Patinkin (VOA), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Source: www.portfolio.hu
