Juba, November 29, 2018 (SSNA) — Ugandan government has violated an arms embargo by covertly funneling weapons to South Sudanese government, a new report released by Conflict Armament Research (CAR) says.
The 105-page report states three Europeans countries sold most of the weapons to South Sudan through Uganda, despite a European Union arms ban imposed on the war-ravaged young nation. CAR says its teams have documented weapons and ammunition that were sold to South Sudan.
“Our field teams have physically documented hundreds of weapons and over 200,000 rounds of ammunition. The result is a forensic picture of how prohibitions on arms transfers to the warring parties have failed,” CAR’s Executive Director, James Bevan, said.
South Sudan’s information minister, Micheal Makuey Lueth, denied the report, telling the Associated Press (AP) that South Sudanese do not have money to buy weapons at that time and that Juba is now looking for money the ongoing peace process.
The report accuses Kampala of providing “end-user assurances” to weapons manufacturers on behalf of Juba. The UK-based Conflict Armament Research group names Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria as the three European countries supplying South Sudan with weapons through Uganda.
A United Nations report released this month also accused Uganda of violating an arms embargo imposed on South Sudan by 15-member Security Council in May this year.