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 Sudanese military conscript-dependent and poorly equipped: experts
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Sudanese military conscript-dependent and poorly equipped: experts
LONDON, Aug 2 (AFP) - Sudan's army, which has promised to fight
any foreign military intervention in the embattled region of Darfur,
is increasingly reliant on conscripts equipped with often shoddy
equipment, experts say.
According to the authoritative British-based Jane's World Armies
publication, Sudan's land army around is 90,000-strong, of whom
25,000 are conscripts.
All Sudanese males aged 18 to 30 are obliged to undertake at
least three years of national service, with around 20,000 conscripts
in uniform at any one time and another 5,000 being trained.
However recruitment has been hit by differences between the
north and south of the country, which have fought each other in
civil war for much of Sudan's 48 years of independence.
"Over the years the army has been beset by recruitment problems
as northern Sudanese become increasingly reluctant to fight in the
south," the Jane's World Armies chapter on Sudan said.
"The ranks of the army are believed to have been swelled with
southerners pressed into service," it added, noting that there were
other internal troubles.
"Soldiers have also protested over delays in pay. The army has
also been weakened by political purges, internal divisions and
widespread corruption."
The army is equipped with around 350 battle tanks and 25 light
tanks, as well as various reconnaissance vehicles, troop carriers
and self-propelled artillery, Jane's said.
The much smaller air force, with around 3,000 personnel, has 44
combat planes and 28 attack helicopters, although it is unknown how
many of these are airworthy.
Military equipment comes from a wide variety of suppliers, and
is generally in bad condition.
"The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are armed with a wide variety
of equipment, often in a poor state of repair from a range of
suppliers," the report said.
"Oil revenues promise to improve the situation and emphasis has
initially been placed upon boosting stocks of battlefield armour,
long-range artillery and attack helicopters, mainly from Russia."
Sudan's defence budget in 2002 was estimated to be around 600
million dollars (500 million euros), or about 4.4 percent of its
gross domestic product, Jane's said.
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