By TWV and Radio Tamazuj
Weapons manufactured by Turkish arms producers are fuelling conflict in Sudan and South Sudan, raising concerns over violations of international arms embargoes and weaknesses in Ankara’s export controls, according to a United Nations Panel of Experts report.
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The report, presented to the UN Security Council in July, documents several cases in which weapons of Turkish origin were recovered from armed groups and militias. Among the seized arms were BRG Savunma BRG-55 rifles and HUSAN Arms MKA 556 rifles, both produced in Turkey and found in South Sudan. Rifles manufactured by UTAS Defence, another Turkish brand, were also identified in the hands of armed actors despite the embargo.
Under Turkish law, the sale of defence materiel abroad, whether by private or state-owned companies, requires prior approval from the Turkish Armed Forces, the Presidency of the Defence Industry (SSB), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The appearance of Turkish-made rifles in Africa suggests that while export licences may have been granted for sales to third countries, shipments were later diverted into conflict zones.
Although the report does not accuse Ankara of deliberately violating the embargo, it highlights loopholes in Turkey’s export monitoring and stresses the risk of diversion to sanctioned areas. UN investigators noted that the presence of recently manufactured Turkish rifles, alongside other foreign weapons, illustrates the shortcomings of international enforcement of the arms embargo imposed on South Sudan in 2018.
The panel stated that many of the confiscated weapons were newly produced, ruling out the possibility that they originated from old stockpiles. Instead, they appear to have reached South Sudan through illicit supply chains, strengthening non-state armed groups and undermining fragile peace agreements.
One of the companies named in the report is BRG Savunma, officially registered as Burgu Savunma Teknolojileri ve Havacılık A.Ş. in Istanbul. Owned by businessman Fatih Doğru, the manufacturer was established in March 2021 under the name Burgu Metal Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd. Şti. It was later converted into a corporation and renamed in June 2024. BRG Savunma, which produces the BRG-55 rifles found in South Sudan, has twice been banned from bidding on Turkish Armed Forces contracts, once for six months in May 2025 and again for two years in June 2025, due to violations of contract terms.
The third Turkish manufacturer cited in the report is UTAS Defence, formally registered as UTAŞ Savunma Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. and based in Antalya Province. Managed by Sezgin Köysüren and Muhammet Serkan Köysüren, the company produces 5.56×45 mm calibre rifles, some of which were found in the possession of armed groups in South Sudan.
The UN Panel warned that the circulation of these weapons is exacerbating violence in South Sudan, where both government forces and opposition groups have been implicated in serious human rights abuses, forced displacement, and systematic attacks on civilians.
Turkey’s defence industry has rapidly expanded its exports across Africa and the Middle East in recent years, boosting Ankara’s geopolitical influence. However, the discovery of Turkish-made weapons in South Sudan raises urgent questions about oversight, accountability, and compliance with international arms embargoes.
The panel urged Turkey, along with other states whose weapons were traced to South Sudan, to strengthen end-user certification and impose stricter export controls to prevent diversion. Without decisive action, the report warns, South Sudan risks further destabilisation as foreign-supplied arms continue to fuel cycles of violence.
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