Phares made the controversial proposal in a post on X on Tuesday, writing: “Volunteers from Biafra, Somaliland, Darfur, South Sudan, Central Africa, Uganda, would be willing to serve for the defence of Israel, Kurdistan and the Iranian people against the jihadi and Khomeinist militias.”
The post did not indicate that any recruitment exercise was underway or that it had been endorsed by the governments of the countries and regions mentioned. Phares also did not provide evidence that volunteers from South Sudan or the other listed places had expressed willingness to participate in such an initiative.
A Lebanese-American scholar, political adviser and commentator, Phares specialises in international security, foreign policy and counterterrorism. He served as a foreign policy adviser during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and previously advised former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. He has also briefed the U.S. Congress, the United Nations Security Council and the European Parliament on issues relating to security and the Middle East.
His proposal comes amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, where Israel is engaged in war with Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, amid international reports of war crimes by Tel Aviv.
In his statement, Phares suggested that volunteers would serve not only in defence of Israel, but also Kurdistan and the Iranian people against what he characterised as Islamist extremist groups and militias aligned with Iran’s ruling establishment.
South Sudanese authorities had not publicly commented on Phares’ proposal by the time of publication. There was also no indication from the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) or any other government institution that South Sudanese citizens were being recruited or encouraged to participate in foreign military operations.
Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel, with cooperation extending to sectors such as agriculture, water management, healthcare, education and technical capacity building.
However, there has been no publicly announced bilateral arrangement involving the recruitment of South Sudanese citizens to serve in Israel’s military or other security forces.
Under South Sudanese law, no official policy has been announced permitting the government to recruit or deploy civilians to fight in foreign conflicts outside recognised state or international arrangements. Likewise, individuals seeking to join foreign armed forces would be subject to the laws of both South Sudan and the receiving country.
Phares also named Biafra, Somaliland, Darfur, the Central African Republic and Uganda as potential sources of volunteers, but he did not explain why those territories and countries were singled out or whether he had consulted any governments, organisations or community representatives before proposing.
As of publication, neither the Government of Israel nor the Government of South Sudan had issued any statement in response to Phares’ comments, and there was no independent verification that any recruitment effort connected to his proposal had been initiated.
