Parties postpone graduate of last batch of unified forces in phase one – spokesman

JUBA – South Sudan parties to the revitalized peace agreement have postponed once again the graduation of the last batch of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) in Unity State’s capital Bentiu once again until next week, according to one of the spokesmen of the Joint Defense Board (JDB).

Brig. Gen. Wijang Duop, the spokesman of SSOA forces and one of the spokesmen of the Joint Defense Board (JDF) told Sudans Post in an interview this afternoon that graduation of forces has been postponed until next week and revealed that it was interrupted by the army command meeting.

“The graduation of the last batch of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) in Bentiu town, the capital of Unity State, has been postponed until next week and preparation is being done and then next week, I mean earlier next week, the graduation will take place,” he said.

“One of the reasons the graduation has not been done this week is because there is an ongoing meeting of army command council which was opened by President Salva Kiir Mayardit who is the commander in chief of the unified armed forces and this will not finish until tomorrow,” he added.

The senior army officer further revealed that senior army and government officials will be going to Bentiu beginning this weekend and that they will assess the situation alongside state officials before the graduation is done earlier next week.

“The honorable presidential advisor on security affairs will go, the honorable minister of defense will go, the army chief will go, the police chief will go, and many more government and army officials will be presence during the graduation in Bentiu,” he revealed.

He said that cantonment and training of the forces in phase two of the unified forces will commence immediately after the graduation of the last batch of the forces in phase one in Bentiu and that by January, all the forces provided for in the security arrangements will be ready.

“The parties are very committed to the full implementation of the agreement and now as we come closer to the end of the graduation of the forces in phase one, the cantonment, assembly and training plus the graduation of the forces in phase two will commence,” he added.