China's special envoy on Darfur, Liu Guijin, recently criticized Sudan for not allowing UNAMID (the United Nations-African Union hybrid peacekeeping mission for Darfur) to fully deploy. While such criticism by China—a powerful friend of Sudan—is welcome, it ultimately has little meaning as long as China continues to sell weapons to Sudan that are helping to fuel the conflict in Darfur.
Ambassador Liu Guijin
Special Envoy on the Situation in Darfur
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington DC, 20008
Your Excellency:
We welcome your recent public statement criticizing the government of Sudan for failing to facilitate the full deployment of UNAMID, the United Nations-African Union hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur. However, we believe that such criticism has little meaning unless China follows up with concrete action to end the violence. One of the most important steps the government of China can take is to immediately halt the transfer of all arms to Sudan.
China is currently by far Sudan's largest known provider of small arms, small arms parts, and ammunition?the type of weapons that have been used by agents of the Sudanese government to wreak havoc in Darfur. Trade data maintained by the United Nations shows that for the period 1999 to 2005, Sudan imported a total of just under $80 million worth of these goods; and that more than $46 million of this, or nearly 57 percent, came from China (including Hong Kong). From 2001 to 2005, a period that includes the start of the Darfur crisis, Sudan?s imports of small arms rose a striking 450 percent.
There can be little doubt that Chinese-manufactured weapons are used by agents of the government of Sudan to kill, maim, and displace civilians in Darfur. Khartoum?s renewed attacks on villages in Western Darfur reinforce the need for an immediate halt of weapons transfers to Sudan. Five years of conflict in Darfur have resulted in more than 200,000 deaths and at least 2.5 million people displaced. There is every reason to believe that if Khartoum has its way, these numbers will continue to increase. Therefore, we urge the government of China to immediately halt the transfer of all arms to Sudan. We further urge China to support the expansion of the UN Security Council arms embargo on Darfur to all of Sudan.
In the lead up to the Beijing Olympic Games, the world is closely monitoring China's actions in relation to the conflict in Darfur. Currently, China is widely perceived as enabling Khartoum as it commits atrocities across Darfur. If China wishes to reverse this perception and instead be seen as a responsible international actor, it should stop providing arms that are helping to fuel the conflict.
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