South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Benjamin Takpiny
The transitional unity government on Wednesday deployed the first battalion of unified forces comprising 750 soldiers to Upper Nile state, ending months of waiting due to logistical constraints and lack of fire arms.
The first batch of 53,000- strong unified forces were passed out in August last year after completing training.
The forces were drawn from training centers in Owinyi Ki Bul in Eastern Equatoria, Maridi in Western Equatoria and Panyier in Jonglei State. They left Juba after completing their deployment parade at Luri Training Center.
Tut Gatluak , the Presidential Advisor on National Security Affairs said that the battalion will be stationed in Malakal town of Upper Nile state.
“The President of the Republic of South Sudan is the one who ordered and decided for us to deploy these forces that are graduated, and they will be deployed in different military divisions across the country,” he said.
Gatluak said that second battalion will soon be deployed to Northern Bahr El Ghazal state.
“Our neighbors have problems and we want you to protect our borders, we don’t want anybody to enter our country with arms,” he said.
Gatluak said that they will start the second phase of training for unified forces, adding that the training will last for only three months before they are passed out.
“We don’t want war again, I want you to go and protect the civil population,” he said.
The minister of Interior, Angelina Teny said that the deployment of the soldiers is a milestone to the revitalized peace agreement.
“You are the national army that can bring peace and stability in the country and can get away all these issues facing us, your role as the national army is defending the country and its people and dignity of its people,” she said.
The national minister for information, communication, technology and postal services, Michael Makuei Lueth urged the soldiers to work for peace in the country.
“You are the ones that will protect people during the elections,” Makuei said.
The Chief of Defense Forces of South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) Gen. Santino Deng Wol called for discipline among the deployed soldiers.
“Today, you are the national army of South Sudan, you do not belong to any political party, and your mandate as the national army is to bring peace to our people, don’t involve yourself into politics. I don’t want you to do politics our mandate is to defend the constitution and borders among other things,” Wol said.
Under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement, the transitional unity government is supposed to graduate in total 83,000 unified forces.
These forces comprising of police, prisons, wildlife, intelligence and the military are supposed to take charge of security during the ongoing transitional period and during the upcoming elections.
