French defence systems fitted to armoured vehicles manufactured by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which the Sudanese military has captured, are likely a violation of a United Nations arms embargo, rights group Amnesty International has said.

Reportedly made in the UAE by Edge Group, the APCs are equipped with the Galix reactive defence system – manufactured in France by Lacroix Defence and KNDS France – which is designed to protect vehicles from approaching threats by releasing projectiles, smoke and decoys.
One of the areas in Sudan where the defence system has reportedly been identified is the region of Darfur, which is one of the key hotspots of the ongoing Sudanese civil war that has killed over 20,000 and has forcibly displaced almost 12 million.
The system’s presence in that region would likely mean a violation of the UN’s arms embargo, and therefore put the RSF – and companies involved – at risk of further international sanctions.
According to Amnesty International’s Secretary-General, Agnès Callamard, “our research shows that weaponry designed and manufactured in France is in active use on the battlefield in Sudan”. She further explained that the “Galix System is being deployed by the RSF in this conflict, and any use in Darfur would be a clear breach of the UN arms embargo.”
Callamard stated that the “French government must ensure that Lacroix Defence and KNDS France immediately stop the supply of this system to the UAE”.