
JUBA – South Sudan has set November 1 as the day on which members of the unified forces will be graduated from various training camps.
The military spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said the exercise, expected to be the last leg in the process, will be preceded by dispatching a team of military experts to conduct screening of the forces in various training centers across the country.
He did, however, divulged further details on the number of forces expected to be graduated from various camps, though previous record shows about 53,000 forces drawn from stakeholders South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, the opposition forces under the command of the first vice president Riek Machar and forces representing the umbrella of the opposition alliance.
They are expected to graduate from various camps and will include members of the army, police, and national security, fire brigade and wildlife.
It remains unclear whether announcement would hold since several announcements have never materialized. The authorities have always attributed repeated delay to graduate the forces “lack of funds”.
Members of the civil society organizations and other political leaders attributed the cause to “lack of political will”, citing the amount of 100 million of dollars which government announced in 2019 to have given to members the National Transitional Committee. The forces have been at the training camps since 2019.
The Joint Defense Board (JDB), the body mandated to exercise command and control over the necessary unified forces, announced it has resolved to start the screening of forces at the training camps next week, paving way to graduation.
The decision of the board was arrived at a meeting attended by top commands of the various peace parties at the military headquarters in Bilpam, located north of capital Juba. The board announced that three joint screening teams will be formed and dispatched to the three regions of Bahr El Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile to start the screening process prior to graduation.
The official spokesperson of government forces confirmed the decision of the JDB, pointing to the necessity of the process before graduation takes place.
“The Joint Defense Board met on Monday and resolved that those forces will have to be screened first and once we are done, it would be followed by unification”, he said, adding, “I have repeatedly said this is the last leg of the entire process and I’m very sure it will take place by the first week of November.”
Gen Lul asked members of the public to exercise patience, saying certain things had caused the delays but which the authorities have now given priority so that graduation is carried out without further delay.
The formation of a unified army in South Sudan is a cornerstone of the 2018 peace agreement. The soldiers have been undergoing training since late 2019.
Iam requesting the international community and world wide security not to force president of Republic of south sudan Gen Salvakiir mayardit to graduates the unified forces within in short period of time. .iam assuring you my fellow friiends about those forces ,they are not loyal to one command, they are belong to individuals faction, if you unified them, they will come and fight each others and destroy the nation before election take place, those forces belong to Riek Machar faction want to fight forces belong to Salvakiir mayardit before the election because Riek Machar wants to take over the power before election, let them stay in their training centres for along period of time until the end of election,therefore they will be graduated and integrated into S SPDF and others forces bbelong to South sudan as whole, let these forces who are protecting the country right now remain to protect the people until election
Dear brother Ruach!
As you mention on your statement, it does not make sense on because,those people was selected in difference force. Why you did not reject that selection since then.Dr.Machar was in Juba for peace,if Machar was not in Juba you can be survive for sure b/c of peace was sign by Dr.Machar in Sudan. Mr.persident try to kill Dr.Machar in difference ways,but no alternative to get Machar. Please let us think for the life of our people in military camps.
Secondly;who will protect civilian in different regions during election,who will control the election poll?
That is not true! The unified forces will be a separated from political affiliation to any party. The plan is to have a national army that doesn’t belong to anybody. The fear of government is that it will lose a grip on the army and since they uses army to fight for it.