Arms Sales to Sudan, 2004-2006 – Annex: Legitimate Transfers

Annex: Legitimate Transfers

According to official databases, the countries listed below transferred arms to Sudan since 2004. However, they were able to provide a valid explanation for the transfers, such as incorrect categorization of items or delivery of items to United Nations or African Union forces. Weapons supplied for peace support operations authorized by the United Nations do not violate the Darfur arms embargo.

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Australia

Australia sent weapons to Sudan in 2005 for use by Australian Defense Force serving with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), according to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Source	Year of export	Weapon Types (nes=not elsewhere specified)	Trade Value or # of Items
Comtrade – Sudan	2005	Revolvers and pistols	$4,114
	2005	Parts and accessories of revolvers or pistols	$8,160
		Total	$12,274
Comtrade – Self	2005	Military weapons, other than hand guns, swords, etc	$2,512
		Total	$2,512

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Austria

Austria reported to both the Comtrade and Eurostat databases that it exported a small amount of weapons parts to Sudan in 2004 and 2005. But after an investigation of Austrian export figures, the Austrian Foreign Ministry informed Human Rights First that the weapons were for United Nations peacekeeping forces.

Source	Year of export	Weapon Types	Trade Value or # of Items
Comtrade – Self	2004	Parts and accessories of revolvers or pistols	$348
	2005	Parts and accessories of revolvers or pistols	$259
		Total	$607
Eurostat	2004	Parts and accessories for weapons	€ 280
	2005	Parts and accessories for weapons	€ 208
		Total	€ 488

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Canada

Canada self-reported a shipment of 105 armored personnel carriers to Sudan in 2005 to the U.N. Register of Conventional Arms, noting that the vehicles were for use by the African Union peacekeeping force. Canada also self-reported to Comtrade that it transferred cartridges or shotguns in 2005. The Canadian Foreign Ministry was able to explain that the exporter had categorized the items incorrectly – the items transferred were in fact engine parts.

Source	Year of export	Weapon Types	Trade Value or # of Items
UN RoCA	2005	Armoured Personnel Carrier	105
		Total:	105
Comtrade – Self	2005	Cartridges, shotguns	$1,734
		Total:	$1,734

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France

France self-reported to both Eurostat and Comtrade that it sent $800,000 worth of explosives to Sudan since 2004. The Permanent Mission of France to the U.N. explained that the explosives were for civilian use only. France exported the explosives for use in the oil and mining industry, but the items were reported under a database category which does not distinguish between civilian and military use explosives.

Source	Year of export	Weapon Types	Trade Value or # of Items
Comtrade – Self	2004	Munitions of war, ammunition/projectiles and parts	$468,861
	2005	Munitions of war, ammunition/projectiles and parts	$83,364
	2006	Munitions of war, ammunition/projectiles and parts	$266,132
		Total	$818,357
Eurostat	2004	Bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles, cartridges and other ammo or projectiles or parts thereof	€ 377,413
	2005	Bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles, cartridges and other ammo or projectiles or parts thereof	€ 67,225
	2006	Bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles, cartridges and other ammo or projectiles or parts thereof	€ 211,743
		Total	€ 656,381

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Germany

Germany reported $23,000 worth of arms exports to the Eurostat database and $103,000 to Comtrade. The Permanent Mission of Germany to the U.N. explained that these exports were for the protection of E.U. Embassies and for use by United Nations operations.

Source	Year of export	Weapon Types (nes=not elsewhere specified)	Trade Value or # of Items
Comtrade – Sudan	2004	Telescopes for arms/other equipment, periscopes	$782,470
	2005	Revolvers and pistols	$33,145
		Shotguns, shotgun-rifles for sport, hunting or target	$1,565
		Cartridges, shotgun	$153
	2006	Shotguns, shotgun-rifles for sport, hunting or target	$14,739
		Revolvers and pistols	$12,320
		Tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles	$1,159,592
		Cartridges, shotgun	$19,906
		Air gun pellets, parts of shotgun cartridges	$1,467
		Total	$2,025,357
Comtrade – Self	2005	Air gun pellets, parts of shotgun cartridges	$5,000
		Rifles, sporting, hunting or target-shooting, nes	$3,000
		Revolvers and pistols	$18,000
	2006	Revolvers and pistols	$7,000
		Aircraft parts nes	$48,000
		Air gun pellets, parts of shotgun cartridges	$4,000
		Parts and accessories of shotguns or rifles, nes	$1,000
		Rifles, sporting, hunting or target-shooting, nes	$17,000
		Total	$103,000
Eurostat	2005	Revolvers and pistols, machine guns for military purposes	€ 14,906
		Bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles, cartridges and other ammo or projectiles or parts thereof	€ 4,026
	2006	Revolvers and pistols, machine guns for military purposes	€ 5,138
		Parts and accessories for weapons	€ 1,034
		Bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles, cartridges and other ammo or projectiles or parts thereof	€ 2,683
		Total	€ 27,787

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South Africa

South Africa reported 60 armored personnel carriers for use by the African Union Mission in Sudan.

Source	Year of export	Weapon Types	Trade Value or # of Items
Comtrade – Self	2005	Telescopes for arms/other equipment, periscopes	$34
		Total	$34
U.N. RoCA	2006	Armored Personnel Carriers	60 ¹²
		Total (items)	60

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Switzerland

Switzerland reported to Comtrade that it exported $35,000 worth of ammunition to Sudan in 2005. The Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the U.N. explained that the items were misclassified in export records; the shipment in fact consisted of Swiss de-mining equipment for the U.N. Mine Action Office in Sudan. Switzerland further stated that no authorization has been given to export arms to Sudan since 2004.

Source	Year of export	Weapon Types	Trade Value or # of Items
Comtrade – Sudan	2004	Tanks and other armored fighting vehicles	$9,143,758
		Military weapons, other than hand guns, swords, etc	$382,294
		Total	$9,526,052
Comtrade – Self	2005	Munitions of war, ammunition/projectiles and parts	$35,920
		Total	$35,920

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United Kingdom

The United Kingdom reported significant arms transfers to Sudan in 2006. However, the Foreign Office explained that all transfers to Sudan since 2004 were for humanitarian purposes, such as de-mining, and were to be used only by the U.N. and other internationally recognized bodies.

Source	Year of export	Weapon Types (nes=not elsewhere specified)	Trade Value or # of Items
Comtrade – Self	2006	Parts and accessories nes of weapons, nes	$15,738
		Cartridges, shotgun	$7,115
		Total	$22,853
Eurostat	2006	Parts and accessories for weapons	€ 12,668
		Bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles, cartridges and other ammo or projectiles or parts thereof	€ 5,748
		Total	€ 12,668

The tables above contain information on exports of arms and related military material to Sudan since 2004, the year the United Nations arms embargo was first imposed in relation to the Darfur conflict. Total amounts for the period are given, as reported to each database. Information for 2007 and 2008 is included where available. The databases used in this enquiry were:

Comtrade – Sudan	United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics database, commodity export and import information reported by Sudan.
Comtrade – Self	United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics database, commodity export and import information self-reported by country.
UN RoCA	United Nations Register on Conventional Arms database, information self-reported by country.
Eurostat	Statistical database of the European Union, information self-reported by country.
Other	Media reports, other publicly reported information.

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