South Sudan minister says unified forces to be redeployed

By Adia Jildo

South Sudan’s Minister for Information, Michael Makuei Lueth said cabinet has approved the deployment of the first batch of unified forces which graduated in August last year.

 “The implementation of the agreement is moving well. We have already passed the budget for the deployment of the forces which have already graduated, so that they vacate the training centers,” Makuei told journalists last week in Juba.

Makuei said the first batch of unified forces is expected to be redeployed within the month of June.

He disclosed that the second phase of the unified forces training will commence immediately after the first batch of forces leaves the training centers.

 “The phase two of the forces will go to the training centers by the end of this month or early next month,” Makuei said.

Under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement, South Sudan is supposed to train and graduate 83,000 unified forces. So far about 53,000 forces have been passed out in the first phase.

 “We are now in the process of establishing bodies required for the constitutional- making process and the political parties’ council as well. We continue to wait for the amended laws so that we continue to restructure and establish the commissions in accordance to the provisions of the amended laws,”Makuei said.

South Sudan is supposed to hold national elections in December 2024 when the roadmap extended in August last year ends.