US Eyes Arms Sales to South Sudan

The long-time paramilitary group the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) is excited this weekend at the prospect of acquiring massive amounts of new weapons amid the news that President Obama has decided to sell US arms to South Sudan.

The new republic is the latest basket-case in northeastern Africa, and the decision to throw large quantities of additional weaponry into the mix in anation where wholesale massacre is a common occurrence and the next war with the north is a question of “when, not if” is likely to fuel at least a little concern.

The US State Department says that the arms sales had been under discussion for quite some time, even before South Sudan became independent, and President Obama’s statement claims that selling them weapons “promotes world peace.”

Despite widespread poverty and little infrastructure the South Sudanese government is expected to focus its rule mostly on acquiring high end weaponry, and with a potentially large oil industry the US is liable to find plenty of things for them to buy.

http://news.antiwar.com/2012/01/08/us-eyes-arms-sales-to-south-sudan/

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