Arms Flows to the Government of South Sudan

Arms transfers to Sudan's 'Ceasefire Zone', which includes South Sudan, are prohibited under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2005 without the express authorization of the Joint Defence Board (JDB). Because representatives of the Sudan Armed Forces sit in equal numbers on the JDB along with Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) members, this effectively gives them a veto over any prospective arms transfers to the Government of South Sudan (GoSS). The GoSS has therefore never sought JDB approval for its arms imports—in effect violating the terms of the CPA—and instead secured covert transfers from willing commercial exporters with the help of neighbouring countries.

Procurement is predicated on the GoSS's assumption that future armed conflict with the National Congress Party is a possibility and that, despite the de facto CPA prohibition, the SPLA has a legitimate right to obtain military equipment and materiel as part of its ongoing professionalization and role as defender of Southern territory. The GoSS does not report imports to any official body, and the Sudanese government's reporting to the UN Commodity Trade Statistics Database does not include imports into South Sudan.

What is known about GoSS supplies has emerged from isolated transfers being interdicted or coming to light en route, and through field research. Available information indicates that Southern Sudanese arms acquisitions are rooted in civil war-era political alliances, with regional allies, including Ethiopia and Kenya, acting as conduits for arms supplies from their own stocks, or acquired on the international market. Documented imports through Kenya include T-55 and T-72M1 tanks, 23mm and 14.5mm anti-aircraft guns, rocket launchers, and up to 10,000 AKM assault rifles.

Click here for more information on the legal framework covering arms flows into and within Sudan. Arms transfers to GoSS forces are discussed in depth in HSBA Working Paper 18 (December 2009) and Issue Brief 15 (September 2009), also in Arabic.

Relevant Tables, Maps, and Summaries

• Selected Transfers to the SPLA, 2005-09 (from HSBA Issue Brief 15)
  Table showing transfers of conventional weapons to the SPLA from Ethiopia and Ukraine/Kenya
• Arms Shipped From Ukraine to Mombasa Under 'GOSS' Contracts, 2007-09 (from HSBA Working Paper 18)
  Table showing small arms, light weapons, and major conventional weapons destined for South Sudan
• Kenya Shipments, 2007-09 (from HSBA Working Paper 18)
  Table showing cargo, operators, and charterers of three shipments destined for South Sudan
• GoSS Spending on the SPLA, 2006-09 (from HSBA Working Paper 18)
  Table showing available data on GoSS spending on the SPLA compared to total spending by year

Relevant HSBA Publications

• Supply and Demand: Arms Flows and Holdings in Sudan, HSBA Issue Brief 15, December 2009 (in Arabic)
• Skirting the Law: Post-CPA Arms Flows to Sudan, by Mike Lewis, September 2009
  (in Arabic)
• The Militarization of Sudan: A Preliminary Review of Arms Flows and Holdings, HSBA Issue Brief, April 2007 (in Arabic)