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  Sudan /
Defense
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Key figures
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Army: 100,000
Navy: 1,500
Air Force: 3,000
Popular Defense Force Militia: Numbers unknown
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Sudan's military forces are predominantly ground based, due to decades of internal conflicts. The civil war in the south, on and off-going since 1963, has cost Sudan vast sums of money and human suffering, but it has also made the Sudanese army well trained.
The Sudanese army has also been central in politics, and involved in a few coups that have led to the change of regimes. These coups have not been destructive to the extent seen in many other countries in the world, as the army has acted in times when the democratic structures have been unable to perform.
Even today, the threat of the army is colouring Sudanese politics, involving great influence from the army on political decisions, the allocation of substantial funds to the army, but it also put a pressure on the acting politicians to perform well.
Soldiers and officers of the military forces have been involved in the infringement of human rights, especially towards civilians in the south. But also the rebel army, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), has violated many human rights.
© Copyright 1996-2009 LookLex Ltd. All rights reserved
By: Tore Kjeilen
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