South Sudan delays graduation of unified forces due to financial constraints

JUBA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan said on Friday the graduation of the much-awaited unified forces has been delayed due to logistical and financial constraints.

Lul Ruai Koang, South Sudan People's Defense Force (SSPDF) spokesperson said the forces are a crucial part of the necessary security arrangement under the 2018 revitalized peace deal that will take charge of security in the youngest nation.

"We had logistical challenges, the joint defense board (JDB) had presented a financial request to the National Pre-Transitional Committee to facilitate the graduation of the forces but the mobilization of financial resources has been a little bit difficult," Koang told Xinhua in Juba.

At least 83,000 unified forces are expected to form the national army.

The training of the unified force started early this year, across all the cantonment sites but had been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Koang disclosed that once they secure requisite funds on time, the graduation of the forces will be done in phases.

"We are going to graduate 3,000 VIP protection force that is the first group. Then they will be followed by the unified national police services at Rejaf, then the rest of the necessary unified forces are going to be graduated simultaneously," said Koang.

Meanwhile, Teshome Gemechu, head of the Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) recently revealed that most cantonment sites are nearing collapsing because of the lack of logistical support.

Gemechu disclosed that this due to a critical lack of logistics support to the training centers and other concerns such as lack of training syllabi at the centers and lack of clear directives on dates of graduation and funding.

According to observers, the full implementation of the security arrangement is crucial to building trust and confidence to avert a repeat of the July 2016 renewed clashes that collapsed the 2015 peace deal.

South Sudan descended into conflict in December 2013, after President Kiir sacked his deputy Machar, who later founded the SPLM-IO, leading to fights between soldiers loyal to their respective leaders. After years of civil war, the youngest country in Africa formed a transitional unity government on Feb. 22, 2020, when Machar was sworn in as the first vice president. Enditem