Government to set up timetable for graduation of forces

JUBA – South Sudan government has said that it is ready to set up a timetable for graduation of over 50,000 unified forces provided for in the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference in Juba on Wednesday, Tut Gatluak Manime, and Chairperson for National Transitional Committee revealed that peace parties will hold a meeting next week to set up a timetable for the graduation of forces.

“Next week we will have a joint meeting where we will come up with the timetable for the graduation of forces, we are ready to graduate forces and the president will invite IGAD for the graduation of forces,” Gatluak told reporters in Juba.

President Salva Kiir and his First Vice President Riek Machar, who leads the largest opposition group SPLM-In-Opposition in the coalition government, have been in disagreement over positions in the unified army command.

Gatluak who is also Presidential Adviser for the National Security Affairs said the issue of unified army command charged with superintending the yet-to-be-graduated unified forces will be handled by IGAD.

“The IGAD proposes numbers on how to share unified army command.  We have not yet agreed on that suggestion, but they (IGAD) proposed certain percentages for the SPLM-IG and the SPLM-IO and the IGAD will present it to us,” he said.

The government official reiterated the government pledged not to return the country to war.

“We consider implementing the current peace agreement because we don’t want to return the county to war.  We come out of war then we return to war but now we want the power to be assumed through the ballot box,” he said.

He said the second batch of unified forces will start training shortly after graduation the first batch.

“On the security arrangement, it is the important issue of the peace agreement and is form the base of the revitalized peace agreement.  The presidency held several meetings and issued directives for the graduation of forces and for other forces to enroll for training in the training center,” he said.