By Bida Elly David
The spokesperson of South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai said that the 750 SSPDF battalion as part of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) to fight M23 rebel in DR Congo are at their final logistical preparations to make their final exodus into DRC.
Speaking to No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper yesterday, Maj. Gen. Lul said that the soldiers are in good health as well as determined to make their entry well prepared with all their weaponry.
He said the EACRF South Sudan contingent currently camping in Nadiapai of Western Equatoria State are physically fit and military hardware complaints as they ready to drive off at any time to their deployment scope.
“The SSPDF going to Congo are still in Nadiapai putting their logistics together and as soon as it is complete, they will move to their areas of deployment,” he said.
Maj. Gen. Lul stated that the procurement and logistical team is making necessary efforts to ensure that every soldier receives complete requirements needed to carry the peace keeping mission without threats or difficulties from external entity.
The SSPDF spokesperson further said that the advance team in Congo is in serious coordination with the forces and the leading team for the Congo operation.
Recently, reports from anonymous sources revealed that some of the SSPDF soldiers formerly tasked for the peacekeeping mission have demonstrated over salary discrimination.
The sources pointed out that the soldiers have laid strategies to boycott their DRC mission and plan to return back to their areas.
In response to the claims, however Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai said that the SSPDF head quarter in Juba is still ignorant concerning the matter promising to make further consultations with the team on the ground for clear justification.
“The advance coordination team is in Congo ever since. We still don’t know whether what was said is true but we will find out,” he told No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper.