UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – China has tried to suppress a U.N. report that says Chinese bullets were used in attacks on peacekeepers in Sudan’s conflict-torn Darfur region, diplomats said yesterday.
The U.N. Security Council’s Sudan sanctions committee will discuss on Wednesday the latest report and recommendations from the so-called Panel of Experts on Sudan. The group monitors compliance with a 2005 arms embargo in place for Darfur.
That report, according to Security Council diplomats familiar with its contents, says a dozen brands of bullet casings found at sites of attacks on U.N./African Union peacekeepers in Darfur came from China. Four other types were manufactured in Sudan, and two varieties were from Israel.
“There’s no evidence that the bullets were sent directly by China with the government’s knowledge to Khartoum for use in Darfur, or that it was China that sold the ammunition to Sudan,” a diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
“To knowingly sell Sudan ammunition for use in Darfur would be a violation of the sanctions,” the diplomat said. “We don’t know if China did that but its attempt to suppress the report is suspicious.”
