CAIRO — A major U.S. security contractor has been retained to transform
thousands of former Sudanese rebels into professional soldiers.
DynCorp International has been awarded a contract to begin training of
thousands of members of the former Sudanese People's Liberation Army
in 2007. The rebels would be recruited into a new Sudanese Army that
would include former rebel groups and patrol areas near Chad and
Ethiopia.
Executives said DynCorp has been awarded several contracts by the U.S.
State Department to provide training, communications as well as build
barracks for southern units of the Sudanese Army. They said the total value
of the contracts, which did include weapons deliveries, would reach $40
million, Middle East Newsline reported.
"The U.S. government has decided that a stable military force will
create a stable country," DynCorp vice president Al Rigney told the Reuters
news agency. "We need to get them walking and talking like professionals."
The project would be overseen by the government in southern Sudan. Forty
percent of the regional government budget has been devoted to defense.
"This contract does not involve sending arms to the SPLA," Rigney said
on Aug. 12. "The idea is not to help them in offensive purposes."
Executives said this was the first such contract awarded to DynCorp.
They said a leading challenge would be discipline and ensuring the
integration of rebels into the Khartoum-led military.
Barracks for the southern Sudanese army were expected to be completed by
2007, executives said. DynCorp has also trained police in Iraq and soldiers
in Liberia.
The company also plans to build up to 10 army bases in southern Sudan
starting in 2007. Each base would house up to 5,000 soldiers.
