A full battalion (400-500 soldiers) from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) gathering weapons as part of a general disarmament program before upcoming elections. During one week in the Koda area (one hour drive west from Juba) the SPLA gathered 762 working rifles and one 16mm mortar, plus various other rifles in non-working condition. This effort is being done by SPLA as it is beyond the scope of the relatively weak police force. Weapons are requested by the local tribal chiefs on a voluntary basis, and if sufficient quantities are not handed over, then they are taken by force. This was a relatively peaceful community without a large quanitity of livestock to protect from cattle raiders, so the voluntary method gathered significant quantities of disused weapons. So far the disarmament program has netted some 20,000 rilfles, with 6,000 coming from Central Equatoria province alone, according to SPLA's Lt. General Obuto Mamut Mete.
- Filename
- STNMTZ_20100202_23103.tif
- Copyright
- George Steinmetz
- Image Size
- 5616x3744 / 60.2MB
- Contained in galleries
- South Sudan
