Sudan flexes its military muscles at IDEX

Visitors view the Khatim-4 Armored Missile Launcher on display at the Sudan Pavilion on the 3rd day of International Defense Exhibition and Conference held at ADNEC Exhibition Center in Abu Dhabi.

Once largely dependent on foreign assistance for its armed forces, Sudan has rapidly emerged as a major weapons producer vying to become a significant player in the global arms trade.
Through its state-owned defence company - the Military Industry Corporation (MIC) - Sudan has emerged as own of the largest weapons producers in Africa, behind only Egypt and South Africa.
Although Sudanese arms production began in the early 1960s with the establishment of the Al Shaggara ammunition plant under the administration of President Ibrahim Abboud, the country started becoming militarily self-sufficient in 1993, when the MIC was established.
According to MIC Director-Spokesman Ali Osman Mahmoud, the country's military industry was forced to become fully self-sustaining in the years after Sudan was hit by an international arms embargo in the early 1990s.
"It was at this time that the high leadership of the country had to adopt this strategy, led by the Salvation," he said, referring to the government of Omar Al Bashir that came into power in 1989.
At IDEX, the country offers a full gamut of military products, ranging from boots, tents and night-vision goggles to rocket launchers, armoured vehicles, self-propelled artillery systems, explosives, guided bombs and even ships.
According to Mahmoud, the country's display at IDEX represents a significant increase in Sudan's military offerings since the last exhibition in 2015.
"We have launched over 35 new products, including a fast boat designed for interception, two new types of armoured personnel carriers, a new type of self-propelled 122-mm howitzer, and a guided smart bomb," he said. "Some of the items were just dreams and ideas at the last IDEX, and now they are reality. It was very fast."
A major selling point of Sudan's domestically-produced weapons, Mahmoud noted, is that all of them have already been used operationally at home, many of them in combat.
"This is one of our strengths. Everything has already been tested and used in the Sudanese armed forces," he said. "We have designed and manufactured everything ourselves, and own all the copyrights and intellectual rights."
Mahmoud noted that the country is specifically marketing its weapons to customers in the Arab World.
"This is the region we are targeting. We are aiming to manufacture these products specifically for the environment of the Middle East," he said. "Many of the systems are particularly well suited to desert environments, for example."
Notably, for the second consecutive IDEX, President Omar Al Bashir was in attendance at the opening ceremony, sitting alongside His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Mahmoud said the close ties between the two countries "are natural".
"We share the same language, the same religion, the same dreams and the same destiny," he said. "The leadership of both countries has fulfilled the dreams of both our people by coming closer together. We are brothers."
bernd@khaleejtimes.com