Uganda spends $35m
on Russian arms
AHMED MERERE, Dar-es-Salaam | Wednesday 12.40pm
UGANDA is in the process of transporting $25-million worth
of new military hardware acquired from Russia from the
Tanzanian capital Dar-es-Salaam to Ugandan capital Kampala.
Peace analysts have said that the hardware, which includes at
least 90 tanks of different sizes, aims at boosting Kampala
government's military capacity in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Military sources put the value of the total consignment
and shipping costs at over $35-million.
Sources in Dar-es-Salaam revealed that the newly purchased
tanks and other equipment arrived at Dar-es-Salaam port from
Russia on November 20 this year aboard a Bulgarian ship, mv
Lady Juliet.
A recent report by the London-based International Institute of
Strategic Studies, which includes an annual survey of arms
spending and military capabilities in Africa, said: "The entire
sub-Sahara African region spent $8,8-billion on defence in
1997, a slight rise over 1996 and a 3,3% proportion of
regional gross domestic product."
The direct costs of widespread conflicts added at least
$800-million or around 10% to expenditure, the IISS report
further said.
The Zimbabwe Standard newspaper said this week that
Zimbabwe " had acquired new military hardware worth billions
of dollars to help beef up its presence in the DRC." The paper
went on to say the arms which Zimbabwe bought include
helicopters, gun-ships, fighter and spotter planes worth over
$54-million. -- Daily Mail |
