US vows to help Southern Sudan build a ‘professional’ army.

Sudan Tribune
29 January 2008

The US administration today affirmed its commitment to helping Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) transform into a modernized army.

The top US diplomat for Africa, Undersecretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazier, broke the news on the occasion of inaugurating an interim SPLA headquarters funded by Washington.

The statement posted on the US State Department's website did not specify the location of the new buildings.

“These buildings are more than a new home for the leadership of the SPLA. They are a symbol of the partnership that exists between the people of Southern Sudan and the people of the United States of America” the statement read.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the civil war in Sudan provides for two armies in the North and the South with joint units in certain areas such as oil fields.

The Sudanese government at the time refused to fund the Southern army from the federal budget so a compromise was reached that will allow the South to receive military assistance from abroad.

Reuters reported last year that the US administration wanted to upgrade the capabilities of South Sudan army as part of a sanctions package against Khartoum for failing to halt the violence in the Western region of Darfur.