Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan government deployed a force of 750 soldiers to Tonja in Upper Nile State on Wednesday. This is the first batch of troops to be deployed from the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF), which were created as part of the revitalized peace agreement.
The forces were dispatched from Juba, the capital, after a deployment parade at Lure. The aim of the deployment is to combat insecurity in the restive Upper Nile area, according to Tut Gatluak, the chair of the National Transitional Committee and presidential security advisor.
The forces were drawn from soldiers who were trained in Owiny Ki Bol in Eastern Equatoria and Panyier in Jonglei state.
The deployment was attended by senior government officials, including General Santino Deng Wol, the Chief of Defense Forces of the South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF), Deputy Chief of Defense Forces General Gabriel Duop Lam, interior minister Angelina Teny, and information minister Michael Makuei Lueth.
Tonja has been the site of fighting between different factions in recent months. The fighting forces in the area include the Agwelek faction of General Johnson Olony and the SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction of General Simon Gatwech Dual.
President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar signed a revitalized version of a 2015 peace deal in 2018 to end a five-year-old civil war. The agreement provides for the reunification of the various factions to form a professional national army.
The parties to the agreement are also required to go to elections at the end of the transitional period. However, they have extended the transitional period several times. The most recent extension is to February 2025, with elections expected to take place in December 2024, two months before the end of the transitional period.
The deployment of the NUF troops to Tonja is a significant step towards the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement. However, it remains to be seen whether the deployment will be successful in reducing insecurity in the area.
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