Arms Flows to the Sudanese Government

The Sudanese government publishes no official information about its arms acquisitions. Nevertheless, customs data, field observations, and data supplied by other countries to UN Commodity Trade Statistics Database (COMTRADE) and the UN Register of Conventional Arms indicate that since 2002 Sudanese purchases of both light and heavy weapons have grown significantly in magnitude. The overwhelming majority (90 per cent) of weapons are sourced from China and Iran, with a number of other small-scale suppliers such as the Russian Federation and Belarus also contributing. Customs data supports the view that the government's imports of small arms and light weapons have grown since 2001 and have become dominated by direct imports from China and Iran.

Reported transfers to Sudan fluctuate considerably from year to year but the aggregate values increased steeply from less than USD 1 million in 2001 to more than USD 23 million in 2008. This is considered to be a fraction of the real value. Conventional munitions and artillery represented a little more than half the total value imported over the period (54 per cent). Small arms represented 43 per cent of the total, and small arms and light weapons ammunition three per cent over the period.

Little firm evidence exists of substantial domestic arms production beyond small arms ammunition, although secrecy surrounding production facilities makes an accurate assessment hard to verify.

Click here for information on the legal framework prohibiting transfers of arms to and within Sudan. Transfers are discussed in depth in HSBA Working Paper 18 (December 2009) and Issue Brief 15 (September 2009), also in Arabic.

Relevant Tables, Maps, and Summaries

• Conventional Weapons Systems Transfers to Khartoum, 2004-09 (from HSBA Issue Brief 15)
  Table listing documented conventional weapons systems transfers by Belarus, China, the Russian Federation, and Iran
• Primary SALW Suppliers to Sudan, as Reported by the Sudan Government to UN Comtrade, 2001-08 (from HSBA Issue Brief 15)
  Figure showing the comparative dominance of China and Iran in small arms and light weapons transfers
• Annual Procurement of SALWs, their Ammunition, and Conventional Artillery and Munitions, as Reported by the Sudan Government to UN Comtrade, 2001-08 (from HSBA Issue Brief 15)
  Figure comparing levels of procurement of different types of weapons systems
• Transfers of Major Weapons Systems to Sudan, as Reported to the UN Register, 2004-07
  Table showing number and types of major weapons transferred by the Russian Federation and Belarus
• SALW and Military Weapon Exports to Sudan, 2003-08 (from HSBA Working Paper 18)
  Three tables describing exporter- and Sudan-reported transfers of small arms and light weapons and military weapons in aggregate and by year
• GNU Total Spending on Defence, National Security, Public Order and Safety, 2000-06 (from HSBA Working Paper 18)
  Table showing annual spending on these line items and their relation to total current and federal expenditure

Relevant HSBA Publications

• Supply and Demand: Arms Flows and Holdings in Sudan, HSBA Issue Brief 15, December 2009 (in Arabic)
• Skirting the Law: Post-CPA Arms Flows to Sudan, by Mike Lewis, September 2009
  (in Arabic)
• The Militarization of Sudan: A Preliminary Review of Arms Flows and Holdings, HSBA Issue Brief, April 2007 (in Arabic)