By Mary Poni
The IGAD’s Special Envoy to South Sudan Amb. Dr. Ismail Wais acknowledged and recognized the commitments so far exhibited by the parties’ signatory to the 2018 revitalized Agreement continuing to uphold significant progress on the implementation of the agreement.
He said the September 2018 peace parties have come to honestly own the implementation of the complex peace accord in one of the greatest commitments witnessed in the country that’s the graduation of the first batch of the unified forces.
“IGAD together with all the stakeholders, the agreement as widely defined and also the friends of good will of South Sudan all know the scale of sacrifice be it personally or politically defined that the gov’t have fully made towards delegations from the neighboring countries and the citizens to reaching this occasion,” he said.
Amb. Wais said, this year has been seen as very encouraging as a gesture of transformation of leadership by the R-TGoNU towards implementing the critical security arrangement provisions in the Revitalized Agreement that set an enabling foundation towards a democratic transition for the nation.
The IGAD special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan noted that the completion of the formation of the legislative function of the transitional government both the national and the state levels was a great work well done.
“I am glad to note that, the special event of graduating the first batch of the necessary unified forces and deployment of the same forces signify a practical, tangible and wonderful gestures that all wanting to be replicated by the R-TGoNU towards implementing the agreement tasks and as guarded by the national roadmap,” he said.
He underscored that, the event was a defining moment of transforming the national defense and security architecture presenting a window of opportunity for the parties to the revitalized peace agreement and for the leadership of South Sudan to focus fully to enhance trust and confidence building among themselves.
“A crucial milestone made this year by the presidency, R-TGoNU and the stakeholders of the revitalized peace agreement is the realization of the roadmap which seeks to pragmatically accomplish meaningful critical tasks of the Revitalized Peace Agreement,” he emphasized.
Since the signing of the revitalized agreement, the unified forces have been regarded as a very strong stage of implementing the transitional security arrangements, training, technical support and logistical support.
Meanwhile the Head of United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Mr. Nicholas Haysom said the graduation was one of the long awaited events in the country as it strives for peace.
He said that, the unified defend forces is one of the most visible and meaningful expressions of national unity especially in societies emerging from conflict.
“It will be on a country of inclusivity and diverse representation symbolizing the national identity of South Sudan not a personal and tribal mechanism,” he stated.
“This is not the end of the process but rather the new beginning,” he noted.
“The graduation of the necessary unified forces is in the history of state in a complex sensual process of constructing a national army and other organized forces” Haysom said. Adding that, it will require a continued commitment by the transitional government to fund and deploy the forces at a time.
He emphasized that, the graduation opened the possibilities of effective deployment to prepare sharpness to end communal violence.
“We will continue to support including capacity building of the police that are in the forces and advising on the technicalities of security sectors formed,” he noted.