| This is one of a group of eight country profiles authored by an emerging expert, originally published as part of the "Comparative Study on Arms Trade Transparency" report (see full report). The assessments and opinions expressed are the views of each assessment's author. The Forum does not itself take positions. |  Tabitha R Agaba |
Sudan is located in North Africa, with South Sudan as its neighbor to the south, Egypt and Libya to the north, Ethiopia to the southeast, Eritrea to the east, and Chad to the west. South Sudan used to be a part of Sudan until its independence on 9th July 2011.
The country has its own military industry that includes an ammunition plant that was opened to produce small arms ammunition in 1960.[1] Its scope of work includes weapons, artillery, ammunition, military vehicles, and military gear, among others.[2]
In 2014, the Small Arms Survey named Sudan the third leading arms manufacturer on the African continent.[3] In a bid to export arms, the country participated in the 2015 international defense exhibition and conference in the United Arab Emirates. Its display was described as one of the largest displays at the conference,[4] a practice it has continued since, including in its participation in the 2025 International Defence Industry fair in Istanbul.[5]
Sudan has previously received military support that included arms transfers from China, Iran, Iraq, Russia, France, South Africa, Libya, and Chile.[6]
Impact of Conflict
The current conflict in the country is between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed forces, a conflict that has drawn in regional allies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. As this latest bout of conflict continues, the military industry in Sudan is under control of the Sudanese Armed forces, while the Rapid Support Forces have continuously attacked them.[7]
The current conflict was sparked by a coup in 2021 that saw the military take over the country's leadership. In 2023, war broke out between two factions in the military, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces.[8] The Rapid Support Forces have received illicit arms from the United Arab Emirates in exchange for gold. The Sudanese Armed Forces receive arms from Russia, Belarus and China.[9] A 2024 report by Amnesty International noted that Sudan’s neighbors were players in violating the arms embargo and supplying the country with arms, further blurring the transparency in Sudan’s arms transfers.[10]
Overall, Sudan struggles with transparency. The 2019 ouster of President Bashir was triggered by high levels of corruption that contributed to sanctions, high levels of living, state capture and bribery among others. This ouster was taken over by a caretaker government, led by a civilian government, which was later ousted by the military in 2021, leading to a falling out between the Sudanese Armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces, according to Transparency International. The resource notes that land grabbing and secret investment deals, among other factors, have marked the agriculture, energy and environment sectors.[11]
Though Sudan manufactures some of its weapons, it imports others. The supply of arms to Sudan has been mainly illegal, because the country has been under an arms embargo since 2004.[12] The black market in arms, particularly in the Darfur region, has also thrived due to the conflict.[13] Calls from the Rapid Support Forces for civilians to carry arms increased access to illicit arms and weakened transparency in arms in Sudan.[14] The arms trade between the RSF and UAE points to economic abuse as Sudanese gold is exploited illegally in exchange for arms
In 2023, the Small Arms Survey estimated that there are 3 million weapons in the country.[15] Weapons supplies to Sudan have been facilitated by Chad, Libya, Central African Republic, Uganda, and South Sudan, and through the Red Sea.[16] A report by Amnesty International also noted that arms manufactured in Turkey for civilian use can't easily be traced and often end up in the conflict in Sudan.[17]
The arms trade and arms transfers in the country have conflicted with reshaping regional affairs within the region, an example of the influential role of arms. Uganda has previously accused Sudan of supporting the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group which terrorized northern Uganda in the 2000s, yet Amnesty International has reported that Uganda is a transit route for arms to Sudan from the United Arab Emirates.
Transparency
The country’s level of transparency is difficult to assess as ongoing conflict has undermined state institutions and significantly limited availability of reliable information. Sudan’s transparency is under the spotlight, though adequate information is unavailable due to the breakdown in state structures due from the ongoing conflict in the country. The country has previously expressed interest in joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions though it hasn’t signed up despite its participation in its creation and consensus adoption.[18] In 1981 Sudan signed the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons but never ratified.[19]
However, analysis of the arms industry is critical due to its role in the country's state of affairs. In Sudan as in any conflict, the supply of arms is key for armed groups to sustain conflict. When it comes to access to weapons in Sudan, the lines are blurred making transparency difficult with the involvement of third parties such as the use of Chad, Libya and South Sudan as a transit route for arms supply from the UAE into Sudan.[20]
Looking forward
Sudan could benefit from more transparency in all sectors, as well as institutional reform. However, key emphasis should be directed towards the military. Arms transfers are a stepping stone towards peace, though its practicality remains questionable due to the breakdown of monitoring structures. Transparency could start with declaration of sourced arms, clear data on arms exports though all this is subject to the stability of the country. Data on arms access should be part of the peace process negotiations as this would enable transparency on who is supplying the country with arms and where its arms are headed. This clarity would provide support in tracking and addressing illegal arms as well as support efforts to ensure implementation of regulations such as the UN arms embargo.
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Tabitha R Agaba is an independent writer and researcher based in Uganda whose work focuses on issues of transnational crime, crime based illicit financial flows, conflict, the arms trade and international security. Email: [email protected]
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[1] ‘Home | Military Industry Corporation’ (Military Industrial Corporation Sudan) <http://mic.sd/en/home/homepage> accessed 19 June 2026
[2] ‘Products | Military Industry Corporation’ (Military Industrial Corporation Sudan) <http://mic.sd/en/home/products/1> accessed 19 June 2026
[3]Dabanga, ‘“Sudan’s Military Industry Expanding”: Small Arms Survey’ (Dabanga Radio TV Online, 6 July 2014) <https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudan-s-military-industry-expanding-small-arms-survey> accessed 19 June 2026
[4] ‘Sudan “stepping up Efforts” to Sell Weapons Abroad: Report - Radio Tamazuj’ (Radio Tamazuj, 9 March 2015) <https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/sudan-stepping-up-efforts-to-sell-weapons-abroad-report> accessed 19 June 2026
[5] Agenzia Fides, ‘AFRICA/SUDAN - Despite the damage suffered by the war, the Sudanese military industry participates in the important Turkish arms fair’ (Agenzia Fides, 28 July 2025) <https://www.fides.org/en/news/76642-AFRICA_SUDAN_Despite_the_damage_suffered_by_the_war_the_Sudanese_military_industry_participates_in_the_important_Turkish_arms_fair> accessed 19 June 2026
[6]Human Rights Watch, ‘Arms Transfers to the Government of Sudan’ (Human Rights Watch, 1998) <https://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports98/sudan/Sudarm988-05.htm> accessed 19 June 2026
[7] Agenzia Fides, ‘AFRICA/SUDAN - Despite the damage suffered by the war, the Sudanese military industry participates in the important Turkish arms fair’ (Agenzia Fides, 28 July 2025) <https://www.fides.org/en/news/76642-AFRICA_SUDAN_Despite_the_damage_suffered_by_the_war_the_Sudanese_military_industry_participates_in_the_important_Turkish_arms_fair> accessed 19 June 2026
[8] ‘Sudan: Overview of Corruption and Anti-Corruption’ (Transparency International Knowledge Hub) <https://knowledgehub.transparency.org/helpdesk/sudan-overview-of-corruption-and-anti-corruption-3> accessed 19 June 2026
[9] Jaeger J, ‘Weapons Fuel Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan’ (Project Ploughshares, 17 September 2024) <https://ploughshares.ca/weapons-fuel-humanitarian-crisis-in-sudan/> accessed 19 June 2026
[10] ‘New Weapons Fuelling the Sudan Conflict’ (Amnesty International, 24 July 2024) <https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2024/07/new-weapons-fuelling-the-sudan-conflict/> accessed 19 June 2026.
[11] ‘Sudan: Overview of Corruption and Anti-Corruption’ (Transparency International Knowledge Hub) <https://knowledgehub.transparency.org/helpdesk/sudan-overview-of-corruption-and-anti-corruption-3> accessed 19 June 2026.
[12] ‘Sudan’ (Global Sanctions) <https://globalsanctions.com/region/sudan/> accessed 19 June 2026
[13] United Nations Security Council, ‘Small arms and light weapons – Report of the Secretary General’ (UN Security Council, 23 October 2025) <https://share.google/JVwq1lRYqF2tHD0LO> accessed 23 June 2026.
[14] Jaeger J, ‘Weapons Fuel Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan’ (Project Ploughshares, 17 September 2024) <https://ploughshares.ca/weapons-fuel-humanitarian-crisis-in-sudan/> accessed 19 June 2026
[15] Jaeger J, ‘Weapons Fuel Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan’ (Project Ploughshares, 17 September 2024) <https://ploughshares.ca/weapons-fuel-humanitarian-crisis-in-sudan/> accessed 19 June 2026
[16] Ali, H. ‘The War in Sudan: How Weapons and Networks Shattered a Power Struggle’ (German Institute for Global and Area Studies, 2024) <https://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/publications/giga-focus/the-war-in-sudan-how-weapons-and-networks-shattered-a-power-struggle> accessed 19 June 2026
[17] ‘New Weapons Fuelling the Sudan Conflict’ (Amnesty International, 24 July 2024) <https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2024/07/new-weapons-fuelling-the-sudan-conflict/> accessed 19 June 2026
[18] ‘Online Reader: Cluster Munition Ban Policy’ (The Monitor, 20 August 2025) <https://the-monitor.org/country-profile/sudan/cluster-munition-ban-policy> accessed 19 June 2026
[19] ibid.
[20] “Letter dated 15 January 2024 from the Panel of Experts on the Sudan addressed to the President of the Security Council’ (15 January 2024) <https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4039195/files/S_2024_65-EN.pdf> accessed 19 June 2026
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