British businessman selling arms to Sudan: report

LONDON, Sept 5 (AFP) — A millionaire British arms dealer is fuelling a bloody civil war in Sudan by arranging to supply its government with tanks, rocket launchers and a cruise missile, the Sunday Times in London said.

John Knight, a businessman from Kent, south England, stands to make 2.25 million pounds (3.3 million euros, four million dollars) by providing Sudan with enough hardware to equip a small army, the newspaper said.

Knight, who has close links with Britain’s defence ministry, is believed to have breached European Union and British sanctions by organising the deal, it said.

Leaked documents obtained by the newspaper show that the deal includes 50 Soviet T-72 tanks, 100 armoured personnel carriers and fighting vehicles, 30 122mm artillery guns, and 12 multiple rocket launchers.

Other papers, reportedly reveal that Knight is negotiating the sale of 5,000 pistols and 150 Super Igla missiles and a Russian cruise missile.

The British government is leading international calls for Sudan to stop the bitter fighting that has already claimed up to 50,000 lives and left one million people homeless.