![SPLA-IO acting chief of staff General Duop Lam posting for a photo with SSPDF army commanders following a meeting in Bilpam on Friday, April 8th 2022. [Photo by Sudans Post]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/DSC6144.jpg?ssl=1)
Speaking before around 8,000 peace forces at Rajaf training center on Wednesday, Gen. Duop who is also the chief of staff of the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) said there shouldn’t be an army belonging to a political party.
“When you graduate from here, there is no army of a party, no police of a party, you are going to be the police of South Sudan,” he said.
“Some of you may be transferred to Bahr el Ghazal, to Upper Nile and other in the headquarter here and headquarters of other states. During your deployment you will be mixed and we don’t want to see any discrimination and politics of division among yourselves,” the deputy army chief said.
“We want you to be united, be nationalists. Nationalism is not a one-way traffic, when you talk about nationalism, start with yourselves, your brothers and this is how we can move this country forward.”
For his part, the Inspector General of Police advised the police officers to exhibit professionalism in their work to protect the civil population.
“Distance yourselves from politicians and politics, this is a directive from the President. You are police of South Sudan without discrimination.”
Gen. Majak Akech also cautioned the officers against tribalism.
“We in the police don’t have tribes, states or personalities. We only work with our ranks and units, we have operation, traffic, immigration, CID, VIP protection unit, diplomatic police, standard police and so forth. These are our tribes.”
