The spokesperson of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) has said the government will only deploy the Necessary Unified Forces who were passed out across the country after the middle command of the army has been restructured and unified.
The deployment programme is part of the provisions in the 2018 peace deal, which helped quell a five-year deadly civil war in which nearly 400,000 people died by creating power-sharing arrangements.
Major General Lul Ruai told Radio Tamazuj Sunday said the deployment of the unified forces has been delayed due to the ongoing process of unifying the middle command.
“You know there were several steps that were to be taken in sequential order. They have to unify the middle command before they can embark on the deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces and unification of the middle command is a work in progress,” he said. “The main parties to the agreement have worked out the positions to be shared. The principals had also been asked to submit the lists of the officers to occupy the different ranks or positions identified. Once the lists are submitted, a republican order will be for the ranks to be confirmed in the SSPDF.”
“Once that has occurred, then the unified force will be deployed,” Gen. Ruai added.
The army spokesman said the process would hopefully be completed by the end of April.
“The process is ongoing and will hopefully be completed by the end of April. We are focusing on the Necessary Unified Forces that have been at the training centers for the last three years,” he explained. “The ones that have been in cantonment areas and I barracks will come in the second phase once the ones who graduated have been deployed.”