Sudanese Armed Forces. South Sudan: never-ending war Political independence has not brought peace

An independent state called the Republic South Sudan appeared on the world map recently. He is just over three years old. Officially, the sovereignty of this country was proclaimed on July 9, 2011. At the same time, almost all of the newest South Sudan is the history of a long and bloody struggle for independence. Although fighting began in South Sudan almost immediately after the declaration of independence of the “greater” Sudan - in the 1950s, however, only in 2011 South Sudan managed to gain independence - not without the help of the West, primarily the United States, which pursued its goals in destroying such a large state under Arab-Muslim control, which was a single Sudan with its capital in Khartoum.

In principle, North and South Sudan are so different regions that the presence of serious tensions between them was historically determined and without Western influence. In many ways, a unified Sudan, before the declaration of independence of South Sudan, resembled Nigeria - the same problems: the Muslim North and the Christian-animistic South, plus its own nuances in the western regions (Darfur and Kordofan). However, in Sudan, confessional differences were exacerbated by both racial and cultural differences. The north of a unified Sudan was inhabited by Arabs and Arabized peoples belonging to the Caucasoid or transitional Ethiopian minor race. But South Sudan is Negroid, mostly Nilotic, professing traditional cults or Christianity (in its local sense).

"Black Country"

Back in the 19th century, South Sudan did not know statehood, at least in the sense that it puts into this concept. modern man. It was a territory inhabited by numerous Nilotic tribes, the most famous of which are the Dinka, Nuer, and Shilluk. The dominant role in a number of regions of South Sudan was played by the Azande tribes, who spoke the languages ​​of the Ubangi branch of the Adamawa-Ubangi subfamily of the Gur-Ubangi family of the Niger-Kordofanian macrofamily of languages. From the north, detachments of Arab slave traders periodically invaded the South Sudanese lands, seizing "living goods", which were in great demand in the slave markets, both in Sudan itself and in Egypt, Asia Minor, and the Arabian Peninsula. However, the raids of the slave traders did not change the thousand-year-old archaic way of life of the Nilotic tribes, since they did not entail political and economic transformations in the South Sudanese lands. The situation changed when the Egyptian ruler Mohammed Ali in 1820-1821, who became interested in the natural resources of the South Sudanese lands, decided to switch to a colonization policy. However, the Egyptians failed to fully master this region and integrate it into Egypt.

The re-colonization of South Sudan began in the 1870s, but it was not successful either. Egyptian troops managed to conquer only the Darfur region - in 1874, after which they were forced to stop, because further there were tropical swamps, which significantly impeded their movement. Thus, South Sudan proper remained virtually uncontrollable. The final development of this vast region took place only during the period of Anglo-Egyptian rule over Sudan in 1898-1955, but even during this period it had its own nuances. Thus, the British, who, together with the Egyptians, administered Sudan, sought to prevent the Arabization and Islamization of the South Sudanese provinces inhabited by the Negroid population. Arab-Muslim influence in the region was minimized in every possible way, as a result of which the peoples of South Sudan either managed to preserve their original beliefs and culture, or they were Christianized by European preachers. Among a certain part of the Negroid population of South Sudan, English was spreading, but the bulk of the population spoke Nilotic and Adamawa-Ubangi languages, practically not knowing Arabic, which had a de facto monopoly in northern Sudan.

In February 1953, Egypt and Great Britain, in the context of decolonization processes gaining strength in the world, came to an agreement on the gradual transition of Sudan to self-government, and then to the proclamation of political sovereignty. In 1954, the Sudanese parliament was created, and on January 1, 1956, Sudan gained political independence. The British planned that Sudan would become a federal state in which the rights of the Arab population of the northern provinces and the Negroid population of South Sudan would be equally respected. However, the key role in the Sudanese independence movement was played by the Sudanese Arabs, who promised the British to implement a federal model, but in reality did not plan to provide real political equality to the North and South. As soon as Sudan gained political independence, the Khartoum government abandoned plans to create a federal state, which caused a sharp increase in separatist sentiment in its southern provinces. The Negroid population of the south was not going to put up with the situation of "second class people" in the newly proclaimed Arab Sudan, especially because of the forced Islamization and Arabization carried out by supporters of the Khartoum government.

"The sting of the snake" and the first Civil War

The formal reason for the beginning of the armed uprising of the peoples of South Sudan was the massive layoffs of officials and officers who came from the Christianized Nilotic peoples of the South. On August 18, 1955, a civil war broke out in South Sudan. Initially, the southerners, despite their willingness to stand to the last, did not pose a serious danger to the Sudanese government forces, since only less than a third of the rebels had firearms. The rest, like thousands of years ago, fought with bows and arrows and spears. The situation began to change by the early 1960s, when a centralized organization of the South Sudanese resistance was formed, called Anya Nya (Snake Sting). This organization enlisted the support of Israel. Tel Aviv was interested in weakening the large Arab-Muslim state, which was a united Sudan, so it began to help arm the South Sudanese separatists. On the other hand, the southern neighbors of Sudan, the African states, which had certain territorial claims or political scores against Khartoum, were interested in supporting Anya Nya. As a result, training camps for South Sudanese rebels appeared in Uganda and Ethiopia.

The first civil war of South Sudan against the Khartoum government lasted from 1955 to 1970. and resulted in the death of at least 500,000 civilians. Hundreds of thousands of people became refugees in neighboring states. The Khartoum government has increased its military presence in the south of the country, sending a contingent of troops totaling 12,000 troops there. Khartoum was supplied with weapons by the Soviet Union. However, the South Sudanese rebels managed to control many areas of the countryside in the provinces of South Sudan.

Considering that it was not possible to overcome the resistance of the rebels by armed means, Khartoum entered into negotiations with the leader of the rebels, Joseph Lagu, who in 1971 formed the South Sudan Liberation Movement. Lagu insisted on the creation of a federal state in which each part would have its own government and armed forces. Naturally, the Arab elite of Northern Sudan was not going to agree to these demands, but in the end, the peacekeeping efforts of the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, who acted as a mediator in the negotiation process, led to the Addis Ababa agreement being concluded. In accordance with the agreement, the three southern provinces received autonomous status and, moreover, a 12,000-strong army was created with a mixed officer corps of northerners and southerners. English language received regional status in the southern provinces. On March 27, 1972, an armistice agreement was signed. The Khartoum government granted amnesty to the rebels and set up a commission to control the return of refugees to the country.

Islamization and the beginning of the second civil war

However, the relative peace in South Sudan did not last long after the conclusion of the Addis Ababa agreement. There were several reasons for the new aggravation of the situation. First, significant oil deposits have been discovered in South Sudan. Naturally, the Khartoum government could not miss the chance to get South Sudanese oil, but control over the oil fields required strengthening the position of the central government in the South. The central government also could not ignore the oil fields of South Sudan, since it was in serious need of replenishing its financial resources. The second point was to strengthen political influence Islamic fundamentalists to the Khartoum leadership. Islamic organizations had close ties with the traditional monarchies of the Arab East, in addition, they had a serious influence on the Arab population of the country. The existence of a Christian and, moreover, a "pagan" enclave in South Sudan was an extremely annoying factor for Islamic radicals. Moreover, they were already pushing through the idea of ​​creating an Islamic state in Sudan, living according to Sharia law.

During the period of the events described, Sudan was headed by President Jafar Mohammed Nimeiri (1930-2009). A professional military man, 39-year-old Nimeiri, back in 1969, overthrew the then Sudanese government of Ismail al-Azhari and proclaimed himself chairman of the Revolutionary Council. Initially, he was guided by the Soviet Union and relied on the support of the Sudanese communists. By the way, the Sudanese Communist Party was one of the most powerful on the African continent, Nimeiri introduced its representatives to the Khartoum government, proclaiming a course towards the socialist path of development and anti-imperialist resistance. Thanks to cooperation with the communists, Nimeiri could count on military assistance from Soviet Union, which he successfully used, including in the conflict with South Sudan.

However, by the end of the 1970s, the growing influence of Islamist forces in Sudanese society forced Nimeiri to radically change his political priorities. In 1983, he declared Sudan a Sharia state. Representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood organization entered the government, and the construction of mosques began everywhere. Sharia laws were introduced throughout the country, including in the South, where the Muslim population was in an absolute minority. In response to the Islamization of Sudan, the activation of local separatists began in the southern provinces. They accused Nimeiri's Khartoum government of violating the Addis Ababa agreement. In 1983, the creation of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) was announced. It is significant that the SPLA advocated the unity of the Sudanese state and accused the Nimeiri government of actions that could lead to the disintegration of the country along national and confessional lines.

Rebels by John Garang

The Sudanese People's Liberation Army was led by Colonel John Garang de Mabior (1945-2005). A native of the Nilotic Dinka people, from the age of 17 he took part in the guerrilla movement in South Sudan. As one of the most capable young men, he was sent to study in Tanzania, and then in the USA.

After receiving a bachelor's degree in economics from the United States and completing his studies in agricultural economics in Tanzania, Garang returned to his homeland and rejoined the guerrilla resistance. The conclusion of the Addis Ababa agreement prompted him, like many other partisans, to serve in the Sudanese armed forces, where, in accordance with the agreement, the rebel detachments of the South Sudanese peoples were integrated. Garang, as an educated and active person, received captain's shoulder straps and continued to serve in the armed forces of Sudan, where he rose to the rank of colonel in 11 years. Recent times he served in the headquarters of the ground forces, from where he was sent to the south of Sudan. There he was caught by the news of the introduction of Sharia law in Sudan. Then Garang led a whole battalion of the Sudanese armed forces, staffed by southerners, to the territory of neighboring Ethiopia, where other southerners who had deserted from the Sudanese army soon arrived.

The units under the command of John Garang operated from the territory of Ethiopia, but soon they managed to take control of large areas of the provinces of South Sudan. This time, the resistance to the Khartoum government was more successful, since there were many professional military men in the ranks of the rebels who managed to get military education and experience in commanding army units over the years of peace.

Meanwhile, in 1985, another military coup took place in Sudan itself. While President Nimeiri was visiting the United States of America, Colonel General Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dagab (born 1934), who served as chief of the general staff of the armed forces, staged a military coup and seized power in the country. It happened on April 6, 1985. The first decision of the rebels was the abolition of the 1983 constitution, which established Sharia law. The ruling Sudanese Socialist Union party was dissolved, ex-president Nimeiri was in exile, and General Swar al-Dagab himself handed over power to the government of Sadiq al-Mahdi in 1986. The latter began negotiations with the South Sudanese rebels, seeking to conclude a peace agreement and prevent further bloodshed. In 1988, the South Sudanese rebels agreed with the Khartoum government on a project for a peaceful settlement of the situation in the country, which included the abolition of the state of emergency and Sharia law. However, already in November 1988, Prime Minister al-Mahdi refused to sign this plan, which led to the strengthening of the position of Islamic fundamentalists in the Khartoum government. Nevertheless, in February 1989 the prime minister, under pressure from the military, accepted the peace plan. It seemed that nothing further stops the Khartoum government from fulfilling the agreements and peace in southern Sudan can be restored.

However, instead of appeasing the southern provinces, a sharp aggravation of the situation followed. Its cause was a new military coup that took place in Sudan. On June 30, 1989, Brigadier General Omar al-Bashir, a professional military paratrooper who had previously commanded a parachute brigade in Khartoum, seized power in the country, dissolved the government and banned political parties. Omar al-Bashir was on conservative positions and sympathized with Islamic fundamentalists. In many ways, it was he who stood at the origins of the further escalation of the conflict in the South of Sudan, which led to the collapse of the unified Sudanese state.

The results of al-Bashir's activities were the establishment of a dictatorial regime in the country, the prohibition of political parties and trade union organizations, and the return to Sharia law. In March 1991, the country's penal code was updated to include medieval punishments such as forcible amputation of hands for certain types crimes, stoning and crucifixion. Following the introduction of a new criminal code, Omar al-Bashir began to update the judiciary in southern Sudan, replacing Christian judges with Muslim judges there. In fact, this meant that Sharia law would be applied against the non-Muslim population of the southern provinces. In the northern provinces of the country, the Sharia police began to carry out repressions against people from the South who did not comply with the norms of Sharia law.

The active phase of hostilities resumed in the southern provinces of Sudan. The rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Army took control of part of the provinces of Bahr el-Ghazal, Upper Nile, Blue Nile, Darfur and Kordofan. However, in July 1992, Khartoum troops, better armed and trained, managed to take control of the headquarters of the South Sudanese rebels in Torit in a swift offensive. Repressions began against the civilian population of the southern provinces, which included the deportation of tens of thousands of women and children into slavery in the north of the country. According to international organizations, up to 200 thousand people were captured and enslaved by northern Sudanese troops and non-governmental Arab groups. Thus, at the end of the twentieth century, everything returned to the situation of a hundred years ago - the raids of Arab slave traders on Negro villages.

At the same time, the Khartoum government began to disorganize the South Sudanese resistance by sowing internal hostility based on tribal contradictions. As you know, John Garang, who led the People's Liberation Army, came from the Dinka people, one of the largest Nilotic peoples in South Sudan. The Sudanese intelligence services began to sow ethnic discord in the ranks of the rebels, convincing representatives of other nationalities that, if they won, Garang would establish a dictatorship of the Dinka people, which would carry out genocide against other ethnic groups in the region.

As a result, there was an attempt to overthrow Garang, which ended in the separation in September 1992 of the group led by William Bani, and in February 1993 - the group led by Cherubino Boli. It seemed that the government of Khartoum was about to be able to crack down on the rebel movement in the south of the country, sowing discord among the rebel groups and, at the same time, intensifying repression against the non-Muslim population of the southern provinces. However, everything was spoiled by the excessive foreign policy independence of the Khartoum government.

Omar al-Bashir, sympathetic to the Islamists, supported Saddam Hussein during Operation Desert Storm, which led to the final deterioration of Sudan's relations with the United States of America. After that, many African countries began to turn away from Sudan as a "rogue country". Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda and Kenya have shown their support for the rebels, with the former three countries stepping up their military assistance to the rebel groups. In 1995, the opposition political forces of Northern Sudan united with the rebels of South Sudan. The so-called "National Democratic Alliance" included the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the Sudan Democratic Union and a number of other political organizations.

All this led to the fact that in 1997 the Khartoum government signed an agreement with part of the rebel groups on reconciliation. Omar al-Bashir had no choice but to recognize the cultural and political autonomy of South Sudan. In 1999, Omar al-Bashir himself made concessions and offered John Garang cultural autonomy within Sudan, but the rebel leader was unstoppable. Active hostilities continued until 2004, although ceasefire negotiations between the opposing factions continued at the same time. Finally, on January 9, 2005, another peace agreement was signed in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. On behalf of the rebels, it was signed by John Garang, on behalf of the Khartoum government - by Vice-President of Sudan Ali Osman Mahammad Taha. In accordance with the terms of this agreement, it was decided: to cancel Sharia law in the south of the country, to cease fire on both sides, to demobilize a significant part of the armed formations, to establish an even distribution of income from the exploitation of oil fields in the southern provinces of the country. South Sudan was granted autonomy for six years, after which the population of the region was given the right to hold a referendum, which would raise the question of the independence of South Sudan as a separate state. The commander of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army, John Garang, became the Vice President of Sudan.

By the time the peace agreements were concluded, according to international organizations, up to two million people had died in hostilities, during repressions and ethnic cleansing. Approximately four million people have left South Sudan, becoming internal and external refugees. Naturally, the consequences of the war were terrible for the Sudanese economy and the social infrastructure of South Sudan. However, on July 30, 2005, John Garang, returning by helicopter from a meeting with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, died in a plane crash.

He was replaced by Salva Kiir (born 1951) - Garang's deputy in charge of the military wing of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army, known for his more radical positions on the issue of granting political independence to South Sudan. As you know, Garanga was also happy with the model of keeping the southern provinces as part of a unified Sudan, in the absence of interference in their affairs by the Islamist Arab elite of Khartoum. However, Salwa Kiir was much more determined and insisted on the complete political independence of South Sudan. Actually, after the crash of the helicopter, he had no other obstacles. Replacing the deceased Garang as vice-president of Sudan, Salva Kiir set a course for the further proclamation of the political independence of South Sudan.

Political independence did not bring peace

On January 8, 2008, North Sudanese troops were withdrawn from the territory of South Sudan, and on January 9-15, 2011, a referendum was held, in which 98.8% of the participating citizens spoke in favor of granting political independence to South Sudan, which was proclaimed on July 9, 2011. Salwa Kiir became the first president of the sovereign Republic of South Sudan.

However, the declaration of political independence does not mean the final solution of all conflict situations in this region. First, extremely tense relations remain between Northern Sudan and South Sudan. They resulted in several armed clashes between the two states. Moreover, the first of them began in May 2011, that is, a month before the official declaration of independence of South Sudan. It was a conflict in South Kordofan, a province that is currently part of Sudan (Northern Sudan), but is largely populated by representatives of African peoples related to the inhabitants of South Sudan and who maintained historical and cultural ties with them, including during the period long struggle for the independence of the South Sudanese state.

The most serious contradictions with the Khartoum government were the inhabitants of the Nuba mountains - the so-called "mountain Nubians", or Nuba. The millionth Nuba people speak the Nubian language, one of two branches of the Tama-Nubian family of languages, traditionally included in the Eastern Sudanese superfamily of the Nilo-Saharan macrofamily. Despite the fact that the Nuba formally profess Islam, they retain very strong vestiges of traditional beliefs, due to their living in the mountains and relatively late Islamization. Naturally, on this basis, they have tense relations with Islamic radicals from the Arab environment of Northern Sudan.

On June 6, 2011, hostilities broke out, the cause of which was formally the conflict situation around the withdrawal of South Sudanese units from the city of Abyei. As a result of the fighting, at least 704 South Sudanese soldiers died, 140,000 civilians became refugees. Many residential buildings, social and economic infrastructure facilities were destroyed. At present, the territory where the conflict took place remains part of Northern Sudan, which does not exclude the possibility of its further repetition.

On March 26, 2012, another armed conflict broke out between Sudan and South Sudan - over the border town of Heglig and surrounding areas, many of which are rich natural resources. The Sudanese People's Liberation Army and the Sudanese Armed Forces participated in the conflict. On April 10, 2012, South Sudan captured the city of Heglig, in response, the Khartoum government announced a general mobilization and on April 22, 2012, achieved the withdrawal of South Sudanese units from Heglig. This conflict contributed to Khartoum officially designating South Sudan as an enemy state. At the same time, neighboring Uganda has officially and once again confirmed that it will support South Sudan.

Meanwhile, not everything is calm on the territory of South Sudan itself. Considering that this state is inhabited by representatives of a number of nationalities who claim a primary role in the country, or are offended that other ethnic groups are in power, it is easy to predict that South Sudan almost immediately after the declaration of independence became the scene of internecine struggle of opposing ethnic armed groups. The most serious confrontation unfolded in 2013-2014. between the Nuer and Dinka peoples - one of the most numerous Nilotic ethnic groups. On December 16, 2013, an attempted military coup was thwarted in the country, which, according to President Salva Kiir, was attempted by supporters of former Vice President Riek Machar. Riek Machar (born 1953) is also a veteran of the guerrilla movement, having fought first as part of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, and then entered into separate agreements with the Khartoum government and led the pro-Khartoum South Sudan Defense Forces, and then the Sudan People's Defense Forces / Democratic Front. Then Machar again became a supporter of Garang and served as vice president in South Sudan. Machar belongs to the Nuer people and is considered by the representatives of the latter as a spokesman for their interests, as opposed to Dinka Salva Kiir.

The coup attempt by Machar's supporters marked the beginning of a new bloody civil war in South Sudan - this time between the Dinka and Nuer peoples. According to international organizations, only in the period from the end of December 2013 to February 2014, 863 thousand civilians in South Sudan became refugees, at least 3.7 million people are in dire need of food. All the efforts of international mediators to ensure the conduct of the negotiation process between the opponents end in failure, since there are always uncontrolled groups that continue to further escalate violence.

Armed forces of the countries of the world

Sudanese Armed Forces

Formerly the largest country in Africa and one of the largest in the world, Sudan lost almost half of its territory in 2011 after the secession of South Sudan, where for almost the entire history of the country there was a civil war on sectarian and tribal grounds. At the same time, another civil war continues in the remaining territory of Sudan - in the western province of Darfur. In addition, the division of the country gave rise to a new conflict with South Sudan in connection with the insufficiently clear delimitation of the border between them.

Sudan is in conflict with the West, while being one of China's main allies not only in Africa, but also in the world as a whole. China receives most of the oil produced in Sudan. In turn, Sudan receives a significant amount of Chinese military equipment. Russia and Belarus are other major arms suppliers to Sudan. In addition, quite a lot of old Soviet and Western weapons remained in the country. Thanks to this, the Sudanese army is considered one of the strongest in Africa, although the level of combat training of personnel, of course, is very low, despite considerable combat experience. However, this applies to all African armies.

Ground troops after the withdrawal from South Sudan and due to the ongoing war in Darfur, are in a state of permanent reorganization. They include the 7th armored, 6 infantry (4th, 5th, 6th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 25th) and 9th airborne divisions, not less than 7 infantry (3rd, 5th, 7th, 12th, 21st, 25th, 29th) and 3 artillery brigades, a number of other units and subunits.

The tank park is extremely eclectic. It includes up to 200 of the latest Chinese Tour 96, 24 fairly new Tour 85-IIM and 50 old but modernized Tour 59D, up to 20 American M60A3, 126 relatively new Soviet T-72M1, up to 48 obsolete T-54 and up to 180 T-55 , 10 Iranian T-72Z (Ture 59 with M60 turret), up to 69 light Chinese Tour 62 and 10 Tour 63.

There are up to 250 BRMs (up to 50 Soviet BRDM-1 and up to 98 BRDM-2, 6 French AML-90s, up to 88 English Ferret and up to 58 Saladin), 74 BMPs (10 Chinese WZ-501 (Ture 86) and 49 similar Soviet BMP-1, 15 BMP-2), up to 700 armored personnel carriers (89 newest Russian BTR-80A, 64 Soviet BTR-70 (modernized in Belarus), from 20 to 50 old BTR-50 and up to 37 BTR-152 , from 36 to 80 American M113, up to 45 V-100 and up to 78 V-150, 29 Canadian Typhoon, 10 Ukrainian BTR-3U, up to 104 Egyptian Walid and 25 Fahd, up to 25 Czechoslovak OT-62 and 40 OT-64S, 50 modern Chinese Tour 92, 20 Iranian "Raksh" ("Amir")).

Artillery includes more than 60 self-propelled guns (56 Soviet 2S1 and several own "Khalifa-1" (D-30 on KAMAZ) (122 mm), up to 11 French AMX Mk F3 (155 mm)), about 250 towed guns (18 American M101 and 6 Italian M-56 (105 mm), up to 26 Soviet D-74, 24 Soviet M-30 and 20 similar Chinese Tour 54-1, up to 63 Soviet D-30 (122 mm), 21 Soviet M-46 and 30 similar Chinese Tour 59-1 (130 mm), 12 American M114 (155 mm)) and several hundred MLRS (460 towed Chinese Tour 63 and 5 Iranian "Shaheen" (107 mm), 42 Soviet BM-21 and 10 9P138 (122 mm ) and 6 of the latest Chinese WS-2 (302 mm), which were not exported to any other country).

There are 250 old English Swingfire ATGMs, 42 equally old Soviet Malyutkas, 450 modern Chinese HJ-8s, and 20 old Soviet BS-3 anti-tank guns (100mm).

Military air defense includes 4 Soviet Osa air defense systems and 2 Chinese FB-6s, more than 300 MANPADS (54 old Soviet Strela-2, up to 125 old American Red Eye, up to 150 newest Chinese FN-6), 21 old ZSU (8 American M163, 13 French M3 (20 mm)), more than 150 anti-aircraft guns (16 American M167 (20 mm), 50 Soviet ZU-23-2 (23 mm), 80 61-K (37 mm), 10 KS -19 (100 mm)).

air force as eclectic in terms of equipment as the ground forces.

Attack aviation includes 11 Soviet Su-24 bombers and up to 9 MiG-23BNs (5 more in storage), 12 Soviet Su-25 attack aircraft (including 3 UB; 2 more in storage) and up to 19 Chinese Q-5s.

Fighter aviation includes 9 relatively new Soviet MiG-29s (including 3 UBs) and up to 18 Chinese J-7s (a copy of the MiG-21). In addition, up to 10 Chinese J-6s (MiG-19s), up to 15 J-5s (MiG-17s), and up to 17 Soviet MiG-21PFMs (including 3 UMs) may be in storage, but the return of these obsolete aircraft into service seems completely unrealistic.

There are 2 An-30 optical reconnaissance aircraft.

Transport aircraft - 2 Soviet Il-76, 1 Il-62M, 6 An-12B (1 more in storage), up to 8 An-26 (1 more in storage), 6 An-32, 2 An-72, 2 An- 74, 3 American S-130N (2 more in storage), 1 Falcon-20, 1 Falcon-50, 1 Falcon-900; up to 2 Canadian DHC-5Ds,1 Chinese Y-8, up to 5 Soviet An-24s, up to 3 German Do-27s - in storage.

Training aircraft - 19 newest Chinese K-8s, 6 JL-9s and up to 7 old CJ-6s, 1 JJ-5 (up to 10 more in storage), 2 JJ-6s; up to 12 Yugoslav UTVA-75s in storage.

The number of Soviet and Russian combat helicopters Mi-24 and Mi-35 can reach 53, 2 more are in storage. Multi-purpose and transport helicopters - up to 19 German Vo-105s, up to 37 Soviet and Russian Mi-8s and Mi-17s (1 more in storage), up to 3 American Bell-212s (up to 7 more in storage); up to 11 Romanian IAR330s (copy of French SA330s), up to 2 French SA316s, up to 6 Soviet Mi-4s may be in storage.

Ground defense includes 6-8 divisions of the old Soviet S-75 air defense system.

Navy Sudanese are purely symbolic. They include 4 patrol boats of the Kurmuk type (Yugoslav pr. 15), several small patrol boats, 5 Yugoslav landing craft.

On the territory of Sudan (in Darfur) there is a fairly large contingent of UN troops, which is traditionally incapacitated. In addition, contingents of Chinese troops, which are formally considered PMCs, are used to protect oil fields owned by Chinese companies.

Apparently, it is the Chinese "PMCs" that are an important guarantee of Sudan's security. The country's armed forces, despite their large size, are hardly capable of providing it due to a significant proportion of obsolete equipment, a low level of combat training, and an extremely unstable situation within the country and in Northeast Africa as a whole.

Alexander Khramchikhin,

Deputy Director

Institute of Political and Military Analysis

FOREIGN MILITARY REVIEW No. 3/2008, pp. 15-20

Colonel O. YUZHIN

In the context of an armed confrontation with the rebel movements of the Darfur region and ongoing tensions with Eritrea, the military-political leadership of the Republic of Sudan Special attention devotes to the issues of increasing the combat capability of the national armed forces (People's Armed Forces - PAF).

The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces of the country is the President of the Republic (Field Marshal O. Kh. al-Bashir), who, through the National Defense Council and the Supreme Military Council, determines the general directions of state policy in the field of preparing society for war, building the armed forces, developing the military industry and cooperation with foreign states in the military sphere. The adopted decisions are implemented through the Ministry of Defense (Minister - General A. Hussein).

The armed forces of Sudan have a three-service structure, which includes the ground forces (F), the air force and the troops air defense(Air Force and Air Defense) and naval forces (Navy).

The number of personnel of the NAF is 104.8 thousand people.

The direct control of the people's armed forces is entrusted to the joint headquarters (OSH, chief - Colonel-General X. al-Jayli). The OH of the armed forces is a single command body for the development and implementation of decisions in the field of armed defense of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the republic.

The joint headquarters of the NAF performs the following tasks:

Development of conceptual foundations in the field of national military strategy, construction and development of the armed forces, as well as their organizational and staff structure;

Strategic and operational management of the armed forces in peacetime and wartime;

Deployment of units and subdivisions of the Armed Forces of Sudan

- control over the implementation of measures for the operational and combat training of troops;

Development of directives and orders, binding on all ministries, state committees and departments, commands of types and branches of troops, associations and formations.

The headquarters of the ground forces is stationed in the capital city of Khartoum and is the main body of command and control of combined arms formations and units. Organizationally, it consists of the following departments: operational, administrative, combat training, supply, engineering, inspection, weapons, communications, financial, moral and psychological training.

The headquarters of the Air Force and Air Defense is also stationed in Khartoum. Organizationally, it consists of departments: combat training, operational, administrative, supply, engineering, inspection, weapons, communications, navigational and financial.

The Naval Headquarters (Port Sudan) manages the activities of detachments of surface ships, bases, as well as individual coastal defense units and subunits. It consists of departments and services: reconnaissance, operational, combat training, administrative, supply, weapons, communications, topographic, maritime police, officer affairs.

Changes in the domestic political situation that occurred after the signing of a peace agreement in 2005 between the central government and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement required the country's leadership to make adjustments to the approaches to building the national armed forces. So, the main content military policy President O. Kh. al-Bashir and his entourage is the creation of an integrated armed forces and the optimization of the military command and control system in relation to the new conditions.

Since the beginning of 2006, a set of measures has been taken in the country to reorganize the system of the highest level of command and control of the armed forces. As part of these activities, on March 17, 2006, the President of the Sudan approved new structure higher military authorities. In particular, the General Headquarters of the country's armed forces was abolished and on its basis an OH was created, to which the headquarters of the branches of the Armed Forces are subordinated. The headquarters of the ground forces was re-formed, which at this stage of the reform is one of the main innovations - previously the ground forces were directly controlled by the General Staff.

The decree provided for the unification of the air force and air defense forces and the creation of an air force and air defense headquarters on the basis of their commands. Based on command naval forces formed the headquarters of the Navy.

Territorial structures - military districts - are being abolished. On their basis, it is planned to create commands in areas, which, according to Sudanese military experts, will allow a more thorough approach to the organization and conduct of hostilities in various regions of the country.

The plans of the leadership of the republic also provide for a radical improvement in the intelligence and information support of the armed forces. In particular, it is planned to expand the staff of special services, raise the level of their technical equipment, organize personnel training, create intelligence centers of the Armed Forces, as well as stationary points and mobile groups of radio and electronic intelligence.

Currently, the combat capability of the Sudanese Armed Forces is at a low level due to the poor technical equipment of units and subunits, the unsatisfactory state of weapons (most of them were supplied to the republic before the 80s of the last century) and insufficient training of command and rank and file of the army.

In this regard, a program for reforming the NAF was developed at the national level and adopted in 2001 (for the period up to 2025). In the course of its implementation, it is planned to significantly increase the combat capability of the national armed forces by re-equipping formations and units modern views weapons and military equipment, modernization of the personnel training system, improvement of the structure of command and control.

In view of the inability of the national military-economic base to ensure the implementation of this program in full, the government of the country seeks to involve industrialized states in this process.

Using proceeds from oil exports (explored reserves in Sudan exceed 2 billion barrels, daily production in 2006 was 380 thousand barrels), the government of O. Kh. al-Bashir in recent years has been able to gradually increase spending on the purchase of military goods and services (more than 350 million dollars in 2006) and thereby increase the attractiveness of the republic as a potential consumer of foreign weapons and military equipment.

The political pressure of the United States and its European allies on the regime of O. Kh. al-Bashir regarding his policy in the western region of the country - Darfur and the related restrictions in the field of military and military-technical cooperation (MTC) with Khartoum, imposed by the American administration, are significant limit the ability of the Sudanese authorities to search for and select partners in military-technical cooperation. At this stage, the most promising for Sudan are not Western, but Asian countries- China, India, Pakistan, Iran, as well as Russia and other CIS states.

Structural diagram of the joint headquarters of the NAF of Sudan

Ground troops- the main and most numerous species NAF Sudan. They are given the main role in repelling possible aggression from outside and ensuring the stability of the ruling regime. The leadership of the SV is carried out by the chief of staff of the ground forces, who is also their commander. The number of personnel is 100 thousand people.

The combat composition of the ground forces includes: ten divisions (six infantry, tank, mechanized, airborne, engineering), nine separate brigades (seven infantry, mechanized, border) and five separate companies (special forces).

In service with the SV are: battle tanks T-54, T-55, T-62, combat armored vehicles AML-90, BRDM-1/2, BMP-1/2, BTR M-113, BTR LAV-150/V-100 Commando, BTR-50/152, MLRS BM-21, 76, 85, 100, 105, 122 and 130mm artillery systems, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons (Table 1).

The main unit of the ground forces is the division (numbering 8.7-9.2 thousand people). The composition of the tank division includes a headquarters, two tank and motorized infantry brigade, reconnaissance battalion, artillery brigade, anti-aircraft artillery battery. An infantry division was built according to a similar scheme (headquarters, three infantry, tank and artillery brigades, an anti-tank artillery division, battalions - reconnaissance, engineer-sapper, communications, logistics, anti-aircraft artillery battery).

Table 1

WEAPONS OF THE SUDAN GROUND FORCES

In combat air force and air defense forces there are 13 aviation squadrons (three fighter-bomber, two fighter, three transport, two combat helicopters, one transport helicopter and two training) and five anti-aircraft missile batteries air defense (Table 2). Command air force and air defense forces is entrusted to the chief of staff of the air force and air defense, who is also their commander. The number of personnel is 3 thousand people.

Naval Forces organizationally include the headquarters of the Navy (Port Sudan), the naval base Flamingo Bay (Port Sudan), detachments of small landing ships, patrol and patrol boats, as well as auxiliary vessels. The number of personnel of the Navy is 1.8 thousand people.

The ship's composition includes 18 warships (two small landing, four patrol and 12 patrol boats) and two auxiliary vessels (tankers).

The recruitment of the armed forces is carried out by conscription (rank and file) and on the basis of voluntary recruitment (sergeants, officers, generals). The age of entry (conscription) into military service and the maximum service life for various categories are given in Table. 3.

Recruits called to active duty undergo an initial military training in relevant training centers conscripts, after which they are sent to the unit. The training period is included in the service life. The term of service for privates is 1.5 years, for sergeants, officers and generals it is determined by the age limit for military service (Table 3).

In Sudan, where a significant part of the population remains below the absolute poverty line (one dollar a day per person), serving in the army, not only as an officer, but also as a sergeant, is a prestigious activity that provides a stable income and a relatively high social status. At the same time, the size of the allowance depends on the length of service, position held and military rank. At a fairly high level (for tropical Africa) is the allowance of senior officers and generals - an average of 200 (major category) to 400 US dollars (general). The level of monetary allowance for sergeants and privates is 60 and 20 dollars, respectively.

table 2

AIR FORCE AND AIR DEFENSE OF SUDAN

The National Armed Forces has a system of bonuses to the official salary for the impeccable performance of duties, service on weekends and holidays, for flights and duty operators of the flight safety service (up to 40 US dollars per month). Servicemen receive clothing allowances (daily and field uniforms), enjoy free medical care in the hospitals of the Ministry of Defense.

The amount of pensions depends on the military rank and length of service.

The Ministry of Defense of Sudan does not provide employment for those who are laid off from military service military personnel.

The problem of training military personnel is being solved in three directions: the development of national military educational institutions; inviting foreign instructors to the country, including on a private basis; military training for military personnel educational institutions foreign states.

AT national system military training includes academies, colleges, schools and colleges. There are four military academies in the country (including the naval academy in Port Sudan), 17 military colleges and schools for the training of officers, seven schools and schools for the training of sergeants and junior technical specialists.

The practice of sending military personnel to study abroad is widespread. In modern conditions, the main partners of Sudan in this area of ​​military cooperation are China, Egypt, and Iran.

The system of mobilization deployment of the National Armed Forces consists of mobilization bodies attached to territorial formations - five military districts. In addition, local administrations maintain a detailed record of assigned staff and persons of military age.

The total number of trained reserve is 102.5 thousand people, including 17.5 thousand in the People's Defense Forces (SDN).

The main tasks of the people's defense forces are the protection of central and local authorities government controlled, important industrial facilities, communication nodes, maintenance of public order. SNO formations can also be involved in operations to eliminate criminal organizations, suppress anti-government protests, solve problems civil defense. Organizationally, these forces are consolidated into battalions, subordinate to the commander of the military district. The SNO is armed mainly with obsolete models of small arms and military equipment. In 2005, several units of these forces participated in the fighting against separatists in the west of the republic (Darfur) and militants of the Ugandan armed group "Lord's Resistance Army" in the south.

To comment, you must register on the site.