Army must undergo major reforms, says Kiir

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir said reforms should be carried out in the SPLA army to enhance it capability which include service numbers and ensuring better utilisation of resources.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir said reforms should be carried out in the SPLA army to enhance it capability which include service numbers and ensuring better utilisation of resources.

“It is important that you work hard to reform the army,” Kiir said during a swearing-in ceremony of top military officials in Juba on Thursday.

The South Sudanese leader urged the newly appointed army generals to start clamping down on ghost names in payrolls as important steps to reform the military.

“There are no reforms in the army. There are no reforms because there are no military numbers, and any army in the world has military numbers,” Kiir said.

“You should get rid of ghost names. It was said that a lot of money goes to the top leadership of the army to build houses in Juba and buy houses elsewhere, so you have to leave a legacy when you leave,” he added.

Kiir urged the top army officials to build news military barracks across the country. “No military barracks have been built since 2005,” he said.

President Kiir has recently announced changes in the top army command that has seen some top military officials dropped.