| South Sudan Armed Forces |
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|---|---|
Flag of South Sudan |
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| Founded | 2011 |
| Leadership | |
| President of the Republic of South Sudan | Salva Kiir Mayardit |
| Military Affairs | Tor Deng Mawin |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers | Russia |
The South Sudan Armed Forces is duly constituted at Part 10, Chapter 1 of the South Sudanese constitution. It currently primarily consists of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), which was previously the armed wing of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and is in the process of becoming a regular army.
The mission of the South Sudan Armed Forces, as defined in the South Sudan Constitution:
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Following the 2011 independence referendum the SPLA will become the national military force of the Republic of South Sudan.
However Richard Rand writes that:[1]
Current leaders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army:
During the Second Sudanese Civil War the SPLA provided training teams to the large groups of boys who fled between 1981 and 1990. John Garang named these the "Red Army".
On 24 June 2008 a South Sudan Air Force was formally created by the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, although it didn't have any aircraft at that time. The U.S. Air Force Special Operations School announced in July 2009 that Sudan participated in the Building Partner Aviation Capacity Course. In May 2010 Major General Kuol Dim Kuol of the Sudan People's Liberation Army said: "SPLA has formed a nucleus air force and navy. Our pilots and engineers have been trained and local support and administrative units will follow suit." On 12 August 2010 the South Sudan Air Force received 4 Mi-17 helicopters of a total of 10 on order.
Currently all weapons are from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). Most of the weapons come from the black market and were smuggled from Uganda and Ethiopia.
metric and inch-pattern FN FALs, G3A3s, IMI Galil ARs, C-4 explosive, various types of land mines
| Name | Type | Caliber | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK-47 | Assault Rifle | 7.62 mm | Soviet Union | |
| Type 56 | Assault Rifle | 7.62 mm | China | |
| M1918 BAR | Light Machine Gun | .30 | United States | |
| Dragunov SVD | Sniper Rifle | 7.62 mm | Soviet Union |
Jane's Defence Weekly said in September 2010 that "Bloomberg News had reported earlier that the fleet consisted of nine Mi-17V-5 transport helicopters and one Mi-172 variant, purchased for a total USD75 million from Russia's Kazan Helicopters, in a contract negotiated in May 2007 for deliveries set to begin in March 2010."[2]
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mi-17 | Russia | Transport Helicopter | Mi-17V-5/Mi-172 | 10 | All 10 delivered as of January 2011. |
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