African dock workers took action and refused to unload Chinese weapons bound for Zimbabwe where they would be used by government forces to crush political opposition.
The U.S. took strong action to support blocking the arms. Now it is time for the U.S. to follow that action and do the same on Chinese arms flowing into Sudan, where they are being used to kill civilians and destroy lives in Darfur.
Watch our short video about China's arms sales to Sudan and sign our letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking her to engage the Chinese government on the question of arms sales to Sudan, just as she has done on arms to Zimbabwe.
Condoleezza Rice
U.S. Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Rice,
We commend the U.S. government for taking a strong stand against the recent shipment of arms from China to Zimbabwe. As well, we appreciate your willingness to communicate your objections directly to the Chinese government. As you know, China is also a major supplier of arms to the government of Sudan, a regime well known for perpetrating mass atrocities against its own people. We urge you to speak out against Chinese arms sent to Sudan, just as you have done for Zimbabwe.
In Zimbabwe, government forces and youth militias are reportedly torturing and killing civilians, violently raiding civil society organizations, and terrorizing election observers. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer has rightly pointed out that for China to act responsibly in Africa, it must refrain from sending weapons into Zimbabwe, where they clearly will be used for illegitimate means to exacerbate violence against civilians.
Surely this logic holds true for Sudan as well as Zimbabwe. China is by far Sudan's largest known provider of small arms and ammunition: since 2004, China has sold at least $55 million worth of this type of weaponry to Khartoum, amounting to 90% of Sudan's overall small arms purchases in 2005. These are precisely the type of weapons that have been used by agents of the Sudanese government to commit mass atrocities in Darfur.
China's modest efforts to positively engage the government of Sudan are overshadowed by its continued arms transfers to Khartoum. One concrete action that China can take to show its commitment to peace is to immediately halt all arms transfers to Sudan. This would not only have the practical impact of ultimately reducing the volume of arms, and therefore the violence, in Sudan; it would also demonstrate China's dedication to act responsibly.
We urge you to engage the Chinese government on the question of arms sales to Sudan, just as you have done with Beijing regarding arms to Zimbabwe. The continued flow of arms from China to Sudan compromises all of our efforts to bring peace to Darfur. Stopping the arms is possible, and would allow both the U.S. and Chinese governments to demonstrate real progress in resolving the crisis in Darfur.
Signed by:
[Your name]
[Your address]
