massive influx

In Sudan’s east, murky arms trade thrives as war rages

By AFP

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Posted on August 31, 2023 12:00

Fighters ride in a vehicle moving in a military convoy accompanying the governor of Sudan’s Darfur State during a stopover in the eastern city of Gedaref while on the way to Port Sudan on August 30, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

More than four months into Sudan’s devastating war, arms dealers are struggling to keep up with demand for a trade that is booming, at a deadly cost.

“A Kalashnikov? A rifle? A pistol?” said a 63-year-old dealer known as Wad al-Daou, offering his wares with a resounding laugh.

“The demand for weapons has soared so high that we can’t possibly meet it,” he said at a market near Sudan’s borders with Ethiopia and Eritrea.

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