ARMOURED vehicles manufactured by the United Arab Emirates and equipped with French defence systems have been captured by the Sudanese army during the civil war in Sudan, Amnesty International says.

The rights group said in a report today it had identified the UAE-made armoured personnel carriers (APCs) in various parts of Sudan, including the Darfur region, where they were used by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in their fight with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

It added that the presence of the military vehicles on the battlefield “likely constitutes a violation” of a United Nations arms embargo that prohibits the transfer of weapons to Sudan.