weapons - The African Mirror

Nov

2023

Sudanese general accuses UAE of supplying paramilitary RSF

A top Sudanese general has said the United Arab Emirates is sending supplies to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), publicly accusing the UAE of involvement in its war with its powerful paramilitary rival for the first time. Army leaders had previously only hinted at interference from unnamed neighbouring countries in the seven-month-old war, which has displaced more than 6 million people and triggered waves of ethnically driven killings in Darfur. "We have information from intelligence, military intelligence, and the diplomatic circuit that the UAE sends planes to support the Janjaweed," General Yassir al-Atta said in a speech to members of the General Intelligence Service…

Nov

2023

By MICHAEL KAHN and ANNA KOPER

Central Europe’s defence companies spy African opportunity

NEWS

CENTRAL European defence companies are negotiating new deals to sell more weapons, military equipment and related services in Africa as they seek to poach customers looking for alternatives to Russia, companies and government officials say. Though now part of the Western NATO alliance, former Warsaw Pact members such as the Czech Republic, then part of Czechoslovakia, delivered a steady supply of weapons to African countries during the Communist era and so are well-placed to maintain or upgrade those systems. "The best new markets are the African ones because they still use Soviet-era equipment but now want Western technology added to…

May

2023

By KOPANO GUMBI and WENDELL ROELF

South Africa rejects U.S. accusations of arms shipment to Russia

NEWS

SOUTH African officials hit back at U.S. accusations that a sanctioned Russian ship had collected weapons from a naval base near Cape Town late last year, a move investors fear could lead Washington to impose sanctions. The U.S. ambassador to South Africa said on Thursday he was confident that a Russian ship uploaded weapons from the Simon's Town base in December, suggesting the incident was not in line with Pretoria's stance of neutrality in the Ukraine conflict. Western diplomats were alarmed at South Africa carrying out naval exercises with Russia and China this year and at the timing of a visit by Russian Foreign…

May

2023

By CARIEN DU PLESSIS, NELLIE PEYTON and BHARGAV ACHARYA

US envoy says Russian ship picked up weapons in South Africa

NEWS

THE United States envoy to South Africa said he was confident that a Russian ship had picked up weapons in South Africa last year, in a possible breach of Pretoria's declared neutrality in the Ukraine conflict. The rand and South Africa's 2030 government bond extended losses after the U.S. assertion as currency traders said they were worried that South Africa could now face Western sanctions. The government is opening an independent inquiry led by a retired judge into the allegation, the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement. Earlier, Ramaphosa did not confirm or deny the shipment took place when…

May

2023

By The African Mirror

SA to probe US claims that it supplied arms Russia

NEWS

CARIEN DU PLESSIS, NELLIE PEYTON and BHARGAV ACHARYA THE United States envoy to South Africa said he was confident that a Russian ship had picked up weapons in South Africa last year, in a possible breach of Pretoria's declared neutrality in the Ukraine conflict. The rand and South Africa's 2030 government bond extended losses after the U.S. assertion as currency traders said they were worried that South Africa could now face Western sanctions. The government is opening an independent inquiry led by a retired judge into the allegation, the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement. Earlier, Ramaphosa did not…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Exclusive: Iran exploits earthquake relief mission to fly weapons to Syria

WORLD

IRAN has used earthquake relief flights to bring weapons and military equipment into its strategic ally Syria, nine Syrian, Iranian, Israeli and Western sources said. The sources told Reuters that the goal was to buttress Iran's defences against Israel in Syria and to strengthen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Reuters is the first to report this development. After the Feb. 6 earthquake in northern Syria and Turkey, hundreds of flights from Iran began landing in Syria's Aleppo, Damascus and Latakia airports bringing supplies, and this went on for seven weeks, the sources said. More than 6,000 people died in all of…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Allies offer more weapons to Ukraine, but no decisions made on tanks

WORLD

IDREES ALI and TOM BALMFORTH WESTERN allies dampened Ukraine's hopes for a rapid shipment of battle tanks to boost its firepower for a spring offensive against Russian forces, with the United States urging Kyiv to hold off from mounting such an operation. The United States' top general, speaking after a meeting of the allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, also said it would be very hard for Ukraine to drive Russia's invading forces from the country this year. The run-up to the Ramstein meeting had been dominated by the issue of whether Germany would agree to send Leopard 2 tanks…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Sudan probes weapons flown in from Ethiopia

NEWS

SUDANESE authorities have seized a cargo of 72 boxes of weapons that arrived by air from Ethiopia and that they suspect were destined for use in "crimes against the state", Sudan's state news agency, SUNA, has reported. The shipment is being investigated by a committee tasked with dismantling the government of former President Omar al-Bashir, who was toppled in April 2019 after a popular uprising. The weapons had arrived in Ethiopia from Moscow in May 2019, the committee found. The intended recipient of the weapons was unclear but the committee did not rule out that they were meant for former…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

United Nations calls for halt of weapons to Myanmar

WORLD

MICHELLE NICHOLS THE United Nations General Assembly has called for a stop to the flow of arms to Myanmar and urged the military to respect November election results and release political detainees, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The General Assembly adopted a resolution with the support of 119 countries several months after the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in a February 1 coup. Belarus requested the text be put to a vote and was the only country to oppose it, while 36 abstained, including China and Russia. "The risk of a large-scale civil war is real,"…