Yiep Joseph
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. President Salva Kiir and the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, finally agreed to deploy phase two of the unified forces in the next two weeks.
According to the Spokesperson of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army In Opposition (SPLA-IO), Lam Paul Gabriel, Machar submitted the long-awaited list of officers to be confirmed and deployed.
“The FVP and the Commander in Chief of the SPLM/A-IO, H.E. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon (Phd), submitted the lists of the SPLA-IO officers to be confirmed and deployed into the country’s security organs as per the Transitional Security Arrangement,” Lam stated in a post on social media.
He added that the list includes officers from different departments, such as the military, national police service, national security service, national wildlife services, national civil defence services, and national prison services.
Lam, however, did not mention the exact number of officers submitted to President Salva but stressed that Machar repeated the call for the quick deployment of forces.
“During the meeting, the SPLA-IO Commander in Chief, H.E. Riek Machar Teny (Phd), reiterated the importance of deploying the Second Echelon Commands and the graduated NUF that are still in the training centres so that the second phase can commence,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Press Unit revealed that the duo had successful discussions on the deployment of the forces.
Based on the statement, the deployment of phase two is set to take place in a few weeks.
“During the meeting, the two parties agreed that the second training of the Unified Forces will start in the next two weeks,” the statement read
According to the statement, the Presidential Advisor on National Security Affairs, Tut Gatluak Manime, who was present during the meeting, stressed that both parties are committed to implementing the key provisions of the peace agreement in order to achieve sustainable peace and stability in the country.
Last month, the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) voiced concerns over delays in the commencement of phase two training and deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF).
Speaking during the CTSAMVM board meeting, Gen. Hailu Gonfa Edossa, the monitoring body’s chairperson, said it is sad to see that the parties to the agreement have not been able to start the process.
“There was no additional deployment of the necessary unified forces apart from the 6 percent out of the planned 83,000 reported in the last board meeting,” he stated. “Yet, their deployment is critical for addressing security issues in the country and a prerequisite for elections,” he stated.
Kiir and Machar have been in disagreement over positions in the unified army command.
The parties are supposed to graduate the unified forces that include police, army, intelligence, and wildlife officers to take charge of security during the ongoing transitional period and the roadmap.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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