Washington, United States | AFP | The United States on Thursday approved a contract to sell Saudi Arabia 180 self-propelled artillery systems for $1.31 billion, in the latest stage of perhaps the world’s biggest arms deal. When US President Donald Trump visited Riyadh last year he boasted that the desert …
Read More »US calls for South Sudan arms embargo after failed truce
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Wednesday called for an international arms embargo to be imposed on South Sudan following the failure of the latest ceasefire aimed at ending the four-year war. US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the Security Council that President Salva Kiir’s government …
Read More »S. Sudan to join Chemical Weapons Convention: watchdog
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | South Sudan is joining the Chemical Weapons Convention outlawing the use of toxic arms, meaning only three nations have not signed on to the treaty, a global watchdog said Friday. “South Sudan has no reason to sit on the fence,” top foreign ministry official …
Read More »THIS WEEK: South Sudan’s former chief of staff refuses to surrender arms
THIS WEEK: South Sudan’s former chief of staff refuses to surrender arms Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Troops have been surrounding the home of South Sudan’s Former Chief of Staff Gen. Paul Malong since Nov.04 on orders of President Salva Kiir that the general surrenders his arms and body guards. …
Read More »Pope warns of nuclear terror threat
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Friday renewed calls for global nuclear disarmament, warning that new technology had increased the risk of deadly weapons falling into the hands of terrorists. “You only have to note that nuclear technologies are spreading, partly because of digital communications, and …
Read More »Nigeria: Cooperation ‘key’ to defeating jihadists
Maiduguri, Nigeria | AFP | Greater international cooperation is required to defeat Boko Haram and neutralise the threat from the Islamist militants in Nigeria and beyond, military commanders and politicians said this week. The jihadists, who are allied to the Islamic State group, have destroyed swathes of remote northeast Nigeria since …
Read More »Saudi king, Putin clinch billion-dollar energy, arms deals on landmark Russia visit
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, on a landmark visit to Russia, and President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a slew of arms and energy deals as the key US ally seeks to deepen cooperation with Moscow. The leaders of the world’s largest energy exporters discussed an extension …
Read More »Slap on the wrist for Chinese caught with brother’s arms
Shanghai, China | AFP | A Chinese man was detained after a bus station security scanner revealed that he had his brother’s severed arms in his luggage, state media reported, but police said he was unlikely to face criminal charges. The 50-year-old was stopped in the city of Duyun in the …
Read More »Focus on Uganda, DRC, Sudan as Kiir buys more weapons
South Sudan buys weapons during famine: UN report United Nations, United States | AFP | South Sudan’s government is spending oil revenue on weapons as the country descends into a famine largely caused by President Salva Kiir’s military campaign, a confidential UN report says. The report obtained by AFP on …
Read More »Global arms trade highest since Cold War
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Worldwide arms trade has risen to its highest level since the Cold War in the last five years, driven by a demand from the Middle East and Asia, a study said Monday. Between 2012-2016, arms imports in terms of volume by countries in Asia and …
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