Are Australian Military Exports Fueling the Massacres in Sudan?

Sudanhorizon– Mohamed Osman Adam
This article derives its power and impact from the fact that its author, Andrew Bartlett, is the head of Australians for War Powers Reform and a former Queensland senator. He is also a contributor to Michael West Media, an independent Australian news website.
Bartlett wrote the article, published Tuesday , to convey, we understand, a single message: that the Australian government is selling weapons to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while aware that these weapons end up in the hands of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias, who in turn use them to commit atrocities, and even genocide, in Sudan.
This accusation is framed in the title as a question, while the intended meaning is that the Australian government is also complicit in supplying the militia RSF with weapons through arms deals brokered by the UAE, which ultimately end up in the hands of these forces.
Michael West Media describes itself as an independent Australian media outlet, defined as non-partisan, non-advertising, and funded by its readers. It argued that its investigations focus on large corporations, particularly tax-evading multinationals, financial markets, and the banking and energy sectors.
The author states that his country’s government remains silent about its role in facilitating atrocities in Sudan. He also notes that much has been written about Australian military exports to Israel during the genocide in Gaza, and despite repeated denials from the Australian government, there is clear evidence that some of these exports continued. He adds, but there was now credible evidence that Australia may be contributing to serious atrocities in another conflict zone – Sudan – where horrific massacres of civilians have been documented over the past two years.
The writer says that, as an example of how dire the situation is in Sudan, the BBC reported last February that 6,000 civilians were killed in a single city (El Fasher) in just three days, and that in November of last year, multiple media outlets published satellite images of El Fasher, showing piles of corpses visible even from space. “A brutal militia called the Rapid Support Forces is engaged in a brutal civil war against the Sudanese Armed Forces.”
But how is Australia involved in the first place?
The writer says that the United Arab Emirates is accused of supplying the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan with weapons, “and yet Australia continues to export military equipment to the UAE, worth nearly US$300 million over the past five years.” He adds, “If there is even the slightest possibility that our exports are being used to slaughter large numbers of unarmed civilians, the government should at least investigate this.” The possibility is very real.” But there are no signs that the government is taking any action, and obtaining clear answers from them regarding the arms trade with the UAE is extremely difficult.
Australian human rights and civil society organizations have warned the government about this possibility and raised questions about the trade, but the result has been mere mystification. The Australian Department of Defence is completely ignoring the issue. In December, Greens Senator David Shoebridge questioned senior Department of Defence officials during a Senate hearing about exports to Sudan or the UAE, but received no answers.
The writer states that for half an hour, officials simply listed policy documents without providing any satisfactory answers about the transfer of weapons to this bloody conflict. One official said he was unaware of any valid export licenses to Sudan and that he would have to review the records. In light of the civilian bloodshed, they were asked whether any licenses were under review. No response was provided.
Under the Arms Trade Treaty, which Australia has signed, countries are prohibited from transferring military equipment if it is likely to be used in attacks targeting civilians. The writer continues that their organization, Australians for War Powers Reform, also sought answers on these issues but encountered a clear blackout. Wong and Marles avoided responding, and they wrote to Foreign Minister Penny Wong in November, receiving a reply from the Department of Defence that failed to address any of their questions. they also contacted Defence Minister Richard Marles twice and received no response.
Last August, 64 Australian civil society organizations, including the Australian Congress of Trade Unions, Amnesty International, the National Council of Churches, and the Human Rights Law Centre, called for a parliamentary review of Australia’s growing arms export sector to ensure compliance with the Arms Trade Treaty. This call, too, was ignored. The author notes that the level of secrecy and complete lack of accountability is unacceptable.
He added: The Australian public does not want to see weapons or other military equipment used in a brutal civil war where civilians are being targeted en masse.” He said, “Currently, there is no reliable way to ascertain whether our exports are reaching Sudan, for one simple reason: the government refuses to disclose this information.”
The writer noted that the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced this week its investigation into atrocities committed in Sudan, stating that it “now possesses substantial evidence linking the Rapid Support Forces to war crimes, and charges are likely to be brought at a later date.”
He commented that the ICC system is notoriously slow, and the charges are unlikely to stop war crimes in the near future. He concluded the opinion piece by saying, “The Australian government should act immediately to conduct a thorough investigation into our involvement and cancel or suspend any suspicious export licenses.

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=16401