Army chief says National Transitional Committee will avail resources for graduation of unified forces  

JUBA – South Sudan’s army chief General Johnson Juma Okot has revealed that the National Transitional Committee (NTC), led by President Salva Kiir’s security advisor Tut Gatluak, has promised to avail resources for the graduation of long-awaited unified forces this week.

According to the 2018 peace deal, the unified forces – composed of opposition and government forces – were supposed to be graduated right before the end of the pre-transitional period which ended in February with formation of unity government.

However, owing to lack of funds and political will, the forces haven’t yet been graduated  despite repeated calls by the regional  bodies and the international community to expedite the process.

Juma who was speaking during a security mechanism workshop organized by Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, (RJMEC) at Crown Hotel in  Juba  said the graduation will commence as soon as the NTC provides necessary resources.

“We have been assured by the NTC that resources will be availed this week. As I speak now, the chair of the Joint Defense Board with mechanisms we have not been informed of, if this said resources are available,” Okot said.

He expressed the need to prepare forces for graduation.

“Forces ready for graduation will have to take into account the provision of logistics quickly and to regroup those who have deserted because of food and give some rehearsal moments so that we can prepare them fully for the graduation that will be decided when the mechanism receives the awaited logistics,” he said.