South Sudan buys weapons as economy collapses - UN panel
An SPLA soldier is pictured behind a South Sudan flag as he sits on the back of a pick-up truck in Bentiu, Unity state January 12, 2014. South Sudanese government forces have acquired two jet fighters and truckloads of small arms ammunition and are seeking to manufacture bullets, while opposition troops have not received any significant arms shipments, UN sanctions monitors have said. PHOTO | REUTERS
South Sudanese government forces have acquired two jet fighters and truckloads of small arms ammunition and were seeking to manufacture bullets, while opposition troops have not received any significant arms shipments, UN sanctions monitors said in a confidential report seen by Reuters on Thursday.
They also said that armed government actors were imposing "debilitating movement restrictions" on UN peacekeepers and warned that the economy of the world's newest nation has effectively collapsed due to government policies that include buying weapons instead of funding social services.
