2000 peace forces graduate in Western Equatoria state

JUBA – South Sudan parties to the revitalized peace agreement on Saturday graduated at least 2000 soldiers in Maridi County of Eastern Equatoria State as part of the unified forces provided for in the 2018 peace deal, with defense minister Angelina Teny calling on the unified forces to be the army of the nation and not of political parties.

Speaking during the event attended by Western Equatoria State Governor Gen. Alfred Futuyo and speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) Jemma Nunu Kumba, Mrs. Teny called on the peace forces to observe army ethics and not to be loyal to political parties.

“I am calling on you that you stick to the principles of a good soldier. You are not an army of a political party or a certain group of people, you are here as army of the Republic of South Sudan,” Teny told the peace forces.

For her part, Kumba thanked the forces for patience in training centers and called on their commanders “to work as a team in order to bed a good example for your soldiers who you command.”

YAKANI WELCOMES GRADUATION

In a statement extended to Sudans Post, Activist Edmund Yakani who recently won a prestigious award welcomed the graduation of the new batch of forces and called on other states governments to follow suit because, he said, there is need for timely graduation of forces.

“CEPO strongly congratulates the leadership of Western Equatoria State and the unified army command for the timely graduation of the unified forces at Maridi Freedom Square on 17 September 2022. This is what the citizens are expecting from the political leadership for genuine and timely implementation of R-ARCSS,” Yakani who is the executive director of CEPO said.

“Other states should follow the good example of Western Equatoria State for the graduation of the unified forces because we need their timely redeployment to allow timely enrollment of the phase two of the unified forces in training as well as their graduation and redeployment before end of the transitional period on 22 February 2023,” Yakani stressed.

He said “Demonstration of primary responsibility and political commitment by the political leadership at national and state level for genuine implementation of R-ARCSS is essential at the moment where the end of the transitional period is approaching so faster.”