The parties to the revitalized peace agreement have failed to realize the two months timeframe to graduate the unified forces.

On 3 April, the peace partners signed an agreement mediated by Sudan, in which they committed to graduate the first batch of unified forces who have completed training within two months. The timeframe expires today, 3 June.

Shortly after the agreement was inked in April, President Salva Kiir restructured the various commands of the organized forces and appointed senior officers from the armed forces of the other peace partners to senior roles in a unified structure.  

Major General Lul Ruai Koang, the spokesman of the SSPDF told Radio Tamazuj earlier on Friday that nothing new has happened as the head of the National Transitional Committee (NTC), Tut Gatluak is out of the country.

“There is nothing new so far. The presidential adviser on security affairs and head of the NTC, Tut Gatluak, will enlighten the joint security mechanism after his return from Khartoum,” he said. “He is out of the country so there were no details about the process of graduating the forces.”

He added: “Challenges are still in place, including problems related to the logistics of food and medicine for the forces, but the forces are still in the training camps waiting for the decision on their graduation.”

In mid-May, Tut Gatluak traveled to Khartoum to follow up on the progress of the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement signed between the Sudanese parties. He is expected to arrive in Juba on Friday.

On Thursday, RJMEC expressed concerns over the failure to implement fundamental provisions of the revitalized peace agreement as the transitional period nears its end in February 2023.