NAIROBI: Despite long-standing restrictions, new guns have persisted to reach South Sudan's battlefields, ceaselessly by means of neighbouring countries, a detailed record via an fingers monitoring staff mentioned Thursday.
A four-year investigation, via London-based Conflict Armament Research (CAR), into the supply of guns that have helped keep South Sudan's civil battle alive since December 2013, has published the necessary role played via neighbouring countries, in particular Uganda, in circumventing fingers embargoes.
While the UN Security Council did not impose an fingers embargo on South Sudan until July 2018, more than four years right into a battle that has killed an estimated 380,000 people, the EU has banned direct sales of guns via member states to Sudan since 1994, amending the embargo to incorporate newly-independent South Sudan in 2011.
Nevertheless, the government army -- referred to as the SPLA, or Sudan People's Liberation Army -- has been stored effectively supplied with weaponry, ceaselessly funnelled via Uganda and every so often originating from Europe or the USA.
The riot SPLA-IO (SPLA In Opposition) has had much less good fortune in sourcing guns, the researchers found, relying heavily on scavenging fingers.
CAR executive director James Bevan mentioned his staff's "comprehensive, on-the-ground survey of the weaponry used" incorporated documenting masses of guns and more than 200,000 bullets.
"The result is a forensic picture of how prohibitions on arms transfers to the warring parties have failed," he mentioned.
CAR found that, in spite of numerous allegations and rumours, no new Chinese guns reached South Sudan after May 2014, six months into the battle.
Nevertheless, two large shipments of Chinese guns to Juba, by means of Mombasa in Kenya, whilst criminal due to the loss of an fingers embargo, ensured the SPLA was once well-supplied for the continued civil battle: the shipments incorporated more than 27 million rounds of small-calibre ammunition, in addition to rockets, grenades, missiles, pistols assault rifles and device guns.
CAR found that, whilst Chinese ammunition had up to now accounted for "less than two per cent" of bullets in stream in South Sudan, once the shipments arrived over part the ammunition in use was once Chinese.
"The logical conclusion is that the 27 million rounds of small-calibre ammunition legally transferred to the SPLA from China in 2014 have sustained SPLA operations in the years since," CAR mentioned.
Meanwhile, Uganda "has continued to be a conduit for material" to the SPLA, CAR mentioned. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is a stout supporter of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir.
Kampala is said to have transferred to South Sudan guns legally offered to Uganda in 2014 and 2015 from manufacturers in Europe and the USA, perhaps with out the knowledge of the corporations involved.
The re-transfer of guns may contravene clauses contained within the so-called end-user certificates which might be meant to verify guns are utilized by the countries they are at the start despatched to.
The armaments have incorporated army airplane in addition to ammunition bought to the Ugandan army.
CAR also found proof of long-suspected Sudanese guns deliveries to SPLA-IO, but no longer lately.
The researchers' paintings also underscored how remoted the rebels, under former vice president Riek Machar, have been, leaving fighters wanting both exterior supporters and bullets.
"Despite allegations made by the SPLA during 2017, CAR has found little indication of external resupply to the SPLA-IO since mid-2015," the record mentioned.
Efforts via Machar in early 2014 to seek delivery of a "shopping list" including 43 million rounds of ammunition, mortars, rockets, rifles and surface-to-air missiles failed.
Instead, rebels have been pressured to depend on defections or shooting guns after battles.
A four-year investigation, via London-based Conflict Armament Research (CAR), into the supply of guns that have helped keep South Sudan's civil battle alive since December 2013, has published the necessary role played via neighbouring countries, in particular Uganda, in circumventing fingers embargoes.
While the UN Security Council did not impose an fingers embargo on South Sudan until July 2018, more than four years right into a battle that has killed an estimated 380,000 people, the EU has banned direct sales of guns via member states to Sudan since 1994, amending the embargo to incorporate newly-independent South Sudan in 2011.
Nevertheless, the government army -- referred to as the SPLA, or Sudan People's Liberation Army -- has been stored effectively supplied with weaponry, ceaselessly funnelled via Uganda and every so often originating from Europe or the USA.
The riot SPLA-IO (SPLA In Opposition) has had much less good fortune in sourcing guns, the researchers found, relying heavily on scavenging fingers.
CAR executive director James Bevan mentioned his staff's "comprehensive, on-the-ground survey of the weaponry used" incorporated documenting masses of guns and more than 200,000 bullets.
"The result is a forensic picture of how prohibitions on arms transfers to the warring parties have failed," he mentioned.
CAR found that, in spite of numerous allegations and rumours, no new Chinese guns reached South Sudan after May 2014, six months into the battle.
Nevertheless, two large shipments of Chinese guns to Juba, by means of Mombasa in Kenya, whilst criminal due to the loss of an fingers embargo, ensured the SPLA was once well-supplied for the continued civil battle: the shipments incorporated more than 27 million rounds of small-calibre ammunition, in addition to rockets, grenades, missiles, pistols assault rifles and device guns.
CAR found that, whilst Chinese ammunition had up to now accounted for "less than two per cent" of bullets in stream in South Sudan, once the shipments arrived over part the ammunition in use was once Chinese.
"The logical conclusion is that the 27 million rounds of small-calibre ammunition legally transferred to the SPLA from China in 2014 have sustained SPLA operations in the years since," CAR mentioned.
Meanwhile, Uganda "has continued to be a conduit for material" to the SPLA, CAR mentioned. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is a stout supporter of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir.
Kampala is said to have transferred to South Sudan guns legally offered to Uganda in 2014 and 2015 from manufacturers in Europe and the USA, perhaps with out the knowledge of the corporations involved.
The re-transfer of guns may contravene clauses contained within the so-called end-user certificates which might be meant to verify guns are utilized by the countries they are at the start despatched to.
The armaments have incorporated army airplane in addition to ammunition bought to the Ugandan army.
CAR also found proof of long-suspected Sudanese guns deliveries to SPLA-IO, but no longer lately.
The researchers' paintings also underscored how remoted the rebels, under former vice president Riek Machar, have been, leaving fighters wanting both exterior supporters and bullets.
"Despite allegations made by the SPLA during 2017, CAR has found little indication of external resupply to the SPLA-IO since mid-2015," the record mentioned.
Efforts via Machar in early 2014 to seek delivery of a "shopping list" including 43 million rounds of ammunition, mortars, rockets, rifles and surface-to-air missiles failed.
Instead, rebels have been pressured to depend on defections or shooting guns after battles.
Despite sanctions South Sudan stays armed for war: Report
![Despite sanctions South Sudan stays armed for war: Report]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
November 30, 2018
Rating:
