The war in Sudan, now in its second year since erupting in April 2023, has been marked not only by devastating humanitarian consequences but also by the steady inflow of foreign weapons. A recent United Nations Panel of Experts report has shed light on the presence of Turkish-made arms on the battlefield, raising pressing questions about embargo violations, arms diversion, and accountability. The findings do more than expose the weapons themselves—they speak to deeper structural problems in the global arms trade and the responsibility of exporting states.
Turkish Arms on the Battlefield
Investigators working with the UN identified a range of Turkish-made rifles in Sudan, including models produced by BRG Savunma, HUSAN Arms, and UTAS Defence. Many of these rifles were newly manufactured, dispelling the notion that they might be relics of older shipments or black-market stockpiles. Their discovery in both the hands of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and rival militias underscores how arms produced in Turkey are filtering into both sides of the war.
Amnesty International has separately documented the proliferation of Turkish firearms in Sudan, some of which were initially marketed as civilian weapons for hunting or sport. The line between civilian and military use, however, proves dangerously thin in conflict zones. These weapons, though technically permissible under export classifications, have been repurposed in ways that escalate violence, leading to a surge in attacks against civilian populations and infrastructure.
The Question of Export Controls
Turkey maintains a legal framework that requires multiple layers of approval for defence exports, involving the Turkish Armed Forces, the Presidency of the Defense Industry, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yet the presence of recently manufactured rifles in Sudan points to two possibilities: either authorized shipments were later diverted to Sudan through third parties, or oversight in enforcing end-user certificates has been insufficient. Both scenarios reflect systemic vulnerabilities that allow weapons to slip through embargo restrictions.
This problem is not confined to Turkey. Around the world, arms exporters frequently rely on end-user assurances that are difficult to monitor once shipments leave their borders. The Sudan case highlights just how fragile such systems are, especially when weapons flow through regional hubs before reaching embargoed destinations.
Humanitarian Consequences
The influx of new arms has had direct consequences on the ground. Reports from displacement camps in Darfur and Khartoum describe worsening conditions linked to escalating violence. The increased availability of firearms has emboldened armed groups to carry out offensives against civilians, worsening malnutrition, displacement, and sexual violence. Food convoys and humanitarian infrastructure have repeatedly come under attack, a violation of international humanitarian law that is facilitated, in part, by the constant resupply of weapons.
The UN and human rights organizations argue that the weapons trade cannot be divorced from its human cost. Every rifle or drone that enters Sudan prolongs the conflict, deepens civilian suffering, and obstructs international relief efforts. This is where the accountability of exporting countries becomes most urgent: to prevent their industries from fueling wars in fragile states.
The Broader Geopolitical Context
Turkey’s growing defence industry is part of its wider geopolitical ambition to expand influence in Africa and the Middle East. Sudan, strategically located on the Red Sea, offers both symbolic and material value for Ankara’s foreign policy aspirations. But such ambitions carry reputational risks when arms transfers—whether deliberate or through negligence—contribute to a humanitarian catastrophe.
The Washington Post has reported that Turkish companies have sought contracts in Sudan not only for weapons but also for strategic concessions in ports and mining operations. This blurs the line between commercial opportunity and political leverage, embedding the arms trade into broader patterns of regional competition. For Sudanese civilians, however, the consequence is clear: more weapons on the ground and fewer prospects for peace.
Rethinking Accountability in the Arms Trade
The revelations about Turkish arms in Sudan highlight the gaps in global arms regulation. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) obliges signatories to avoid transfers where there is a clear risk of human rights abuses, yet enforcement remains inconsistent. End-user certificates are frequently undermined, and embargoes on paper rarely translate into effective border controls. Sudan is only the latest example of a pattern that stretches from Yemen to Libya, where embargo violations have been the rule rather than the exception.
To address this, experts argue that transparency in arms exports must be strengthened, civilian-market weapons should be regulated with greater caution, and accountability mechanisms—ranging from sanctions to legal proceedings—must be applied when diversion is proven. Without such reforms, embargoes will remain symbolic gestures rather than meaningful instruments of conflict prevention.
The presence of Turkish weapons in Sudan is more than a matter of embargo violations. It illustrates how fragile states become testing grounds for the consequences of weak export controls, blurred lines between civilian and military arms, and the geopolitical ambitions of exporting states. The humanitarian cost is devastating: prolonged conflict, displacement of millions, and systematic violations of human rights.
What the UN report makes clear is that the problem is not only about Turkey—it is about the loopholes in the global arms trade that allow such transfers to occur. Unless exporting states take responsibility for their industries and strengthen enforcement mechanisms, Sudan will not be the last place where embargoes are broken, and civilians pay the price.
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