Sudan conflict: Black market AK-47s flood Sudan’s capital

The price of one of the most famous weapons of war, the AK-47 assault rifle, has plunged 50% in recent months on the black market in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, to just $830 today. ing.

Long-time arms dealers blame prices for the plunge after Sudan plunged into civil war in April as the black market became saturated with the Russian-invented Kalashnikov, colloquially known as “The Clash”. .

On the streets of Khartoum and the two other cities that make up the capital, Bari and Omdurman, fighting rages daily between the army and the militia’s Rapid Support Force (RSF).

The man, who sells arms as a kind of full-time business, spoke on condition of anonymity. Some of the suppliers are veterans, but most are RSF executives, he said.

In mid-July, nearly three months after the start of the conflict that devastated Sudan, supply outstripped demand, especially after what locals call the Battle of Bakhri.

The streets of Bari were littered with the corpses of soldiers, and government forces suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the militias that control not only Khartoum and Omdurman, but much of the city.

“Many soldiers were captured and many more were killed, so our suppliers have a lot of weapons,” the dealer said.

This means he no longer has to rely on “The Clash” smuggled from Libya through the Sahara, which he describes as “opening up the arms market.” This shows how widespread lawlessness and instability are in North African countries. The state has fallen apart since 2011 when long-ruling Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed.

So far, the smuggled weapons have been sold mainly to rebels and militias involved in long-running conflicts in neighboring countries such as Sudan and Chad.

But now, combatants pick up enemy weapons killed or captured on the battlefields of the Khartoum metropolitan area and sell them through middlemen to dealers, who in turn become new groups of buyers: war and illicit. I found some locals worried about the behavior. Danger is imminent.

Residents who learned about the store through word of mouth call the store and place an order. The dealer delivers his AK-47 rifle to his home and briefly demonstrates how to use a weapon he never imagined he would own.

Ammunition is sold separately by dealers located around the main market in Omdurman, called Souq Omdurman.

The 55-year-old father of six said he bought the AK-47 rifle because of rising crime and “the possibility of attacks from others in Khartoum.”

“For whatever reason, they might just attack you. It could turn into an ethnic war. You never know. That’s our main fear,” he added.

Sudan plunged into civil war in mid-April after clashes between army commander General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemediti.

The two staged a coup in October 2021, but were later embroiled in a power struggle that saw their subordinates take arms against each other in a war with no end in sight.

The arms dealer said the easy-to-use, easy-to-carry pistol is much more in demand than the AK-47 rifle.

Residents are blaming crime as it spirals out of control due to the collapse of the government, including police, prisons and the judiciary.

With mass breakouts from Khartoum’s largest prison early in the war, violent criminals are now taking to the streets.

The conflict has also forced many businesses to close, with ripple effects on unemployment, while crime has soared as the cost of living rises due to shortages of basic food items.

Although the people are facing economic hardships, security is paramount, especially with looting of homes and rape of women, so a significant number of residents are buying weapons.

The arms dealer said he had quadrupled the price of the handgun from 800,000 Sudanese pounds ($1,330) to 200,000 Sudanese pounds.

“What was it that made them [pistols] was highly licensed. No need to get it now. Just buy it and use it,” the dealer said, adding that sales were higher than ever before, making a sizable profit.

AK-47 rifle owners keep their weapon at home, while pistol owners carry it with them when they go out, such as to gas stations or markets.

The threat posed by criminals is highlighted by the plight of a 24-year-old man who was married several years ago and has a one-year-old child.

While walking to the market in Omdurman, he was met by a gang who stole his cash and shot him in the spine. The city’s only functioning hospital could not provide care, so he was taken on a perilous journey to a hospital in the Nile River State, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) away.

The bullet was removed, but the gunfire left him paralyzed. This is a painful reminder of the war that ruined the lives of millions.