’Israeli’ Spy Equipment to South Sudan

Local Editor

"Israel" sold wiretapping equipment to South Sudan even after the civil war broke out, and this equipment was used to identify and arrest opponents of the government, a UN report has revealed.

The report, compiled by a panel of experts tasked with examining the implementation of sanctions against South Sudan, is the final version of an interim report published in August. It concluded that both sides in the country's civil war are managing to buy arms and other military equipment despite the sanctions.

The interim report had said the South Sudanese army was using "Israeli"-made weapons, and even included pictures of soldiers armed with ACE assault rifles, an updated version of "Israel's" Galil rifle.

As Haaretz reported two weeks ago, when members of the panel of experts came to "Israel" to meet with senior officials, they were told that the weapons in question had been sold before the outbreak of the civil war, and that "Israel" had decided to stop selling offensive weapons to South Sudan in early 2014, shortly after the war began.

"Israel" also promised that this policy of not supplying lethal weapons would remain in force.

The final report largely accepted this "Israel" contention, despite its finding that both ACE rifles and another "Israeli" rifle, the Micro Galil, are widespread in South Sudan's main conflict zones.

The report stated explicitly that the government forces' ACE rifles were purchased before the civil war began.

In 2014, after the civil war broke out, the Ugandan government transferred the weapons to South Sudan, without informing "Israel" or asking its consent.

Yet even though "Israel" decided to stop selling offensive weapons to South Sudan, it continued to permit the sale of military equipment. The report said this included communications interception equipment.

The report also traced various other sources of weapons in South Sudan. For instance, it found, Ukraine sold South Sudan 830 light machine guns and 62 heavy machine guns in 2014. In addition, it said, the Chinese arms company Norinco sold 100 antitank missiles and about 10,000 automatic rifles to the Sudan People's Liberation Army, which is the government's army.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team