SUDAN:China and Russia have supplied weapons and aircraft to Sudan that have been used in attacks against civilians in Darfur in violation of a UN arms embargo, Amnesty International has alleged.
A report from the group cites witnesses who said they saw Russian-made aircraft and helicopter gun-ships used in bombing raids and traced spent cartridges in raided villages to new Kalashnikov machine guns. Its author, Brian Wood, says that Amnesty is particularly concerned about 12 Russian Mi-24 helicopter gunships acquired by Sudan that are the same type being used in attacks in Darfur.
"Those are the machines that are flying around right now," said Mr Wood, noting that one was shot down last week by a rebel group in Darfur.
"The Russian government knows that they are being used in violations of human rights, so how can they in good conscience keep selling them?"
The human rights group also said it was concerned that Sudan had transferred six K-8 attack aircraft recently acquired from China to Darfur in breach of the ban and noted that Khartoum was expecting six more. The report cites Sudan's trade figures showing that in 2005 - the year a UN resolution banned transfer of weapons to all parties in Darfur - Russia sold almost $35 million (€25.8 million) worth of aircraft and helicopters, and China supplied $24 million worth of arms and $57 million of aircraft equipment.
More than 200,000 people have died in four years of conflict between rebel groups and militias backed by the government. About 2.5 million people have been displaced by the attacks, according to the UN.
The arms sales exploit a grey area in the UN resolution, which technically might allow Sudan to buy weapons as long as they are not used in Darfur.
"Those are not in violation of anything. Sudan needs to defend itself," Sudan's ambassador to Washington, John Ukec Lueth Ukec said on Tuesday.
He denied the government's involvement in attacks in Darfur.
"We do not bomb civilians, we don't even use aircraft," Mr Ukec said.
China and Russia denied they sold weapons for use in Darfur, though they acknowledged sales to Sudan for general military use.