South Sudan’s main opposition group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) said it has reservations about the creation of the proposed 700-strong VIP protection force and its command.
Lam Paul Gabriel, deputy military spokesman for Machar’s SPLA-IO, told journalists in Juba on Monday that the joint protection force is supposed to be a complete division, not a battalion.
Lam pointed out that his group had requested the command of the proposed presidential guards be left to the Joint Defence Board (JDB), not the army’s commander-in-chief.
““The tiger force is supposed to be a complete division, not only a battalion and their command to be relinquished to the JDB as stated in the R-ARCSS [Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan]. We need 10,000 to 12,000 forces,” he said.
“We want powers to be given the JDB so that we work together and we can have control over any soldier with a gun. So this is where we have our reservations and that’s why up to today, our 350 soldiers are not in Rejaf,” he added.
Lam said the SPLA-IO forwarded its reservations to the JDB, a mechanism tasked with command and control over all forces during the pre-transitional period.
Last month, South Sudan’s peace partners agreed to form a 700-strong VIP protection unit that would be tasked handle the security of members of the presidency during the transitional period.
The force, according to the agreement, would comprise of 350 soldiers from the current government, 350 from the SPLA-IO and South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).
However, the SPLA-IO is proposing a joint force of at least 12,000 soldiers to form a VIP protection unit.
“The entire division is required to provide adequate security for the yet-to-be established unity government, in contrast to a joint force of 700 soldiers currently provided for,” explained Lam.
The government says its protection force was ready for training, accusing the opposition of delaying the creation of the agreed 700-strong VIP protection unit.
But Lam said they have not received any feedback from the JDB on their new proposal for the protection force. “On the number of forces to be trained as VIP protection forces, JDB proposed a total of 700 soldiers (350 from SSPDF and SPLA-IO and SSOA). However, the SPLA-IO has reservations on the proposed number and the command of VIP protection force,” said Lam.
The SPLA-IO official said the police, wildlife, and the national security forces must be unified to provide protection to the civil population.
“Our civilians need to be protected, not only the VIP protection force. We also need the police, wildlife, and the national security forces to be unified. We don’t need to put our effort only on particular or few numbers and leave out the majority of South Sudanese,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Lam reiterated the armed opposition faction’s commitment to the implementation of the peace deal.
The new transitional government is expected to be formed in May 2019. However, the implementation of the September 2018 peace agreement is facing multiple delays.