South Sudan welcomes appointment of new UN force commander

July 6, 2022 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s army chief, General Santino Deng Wol has welcomed the appointment of Lt. Gen. Mohan Subramanian as new force commander for the United Nations mission in the country (UNMISS).

Subramanian, an Indian national was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to succeed Lt. General Shailesh Tinaikar.

“For us in the military, whether in India, China, America, Russia, Germany, UK [United Kingdom], France, etc. our work as the army is all the same. We are for defense of the constitution, guarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. And when there are challenges in one country or the other, the military goes in to implement directives and commands from the political leadership,” said Wol.

The army officer said the relationship between the Republic of South Sudan and the world body is guided by the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

SOFA is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing military forces in that country. SOFAs are often included, along with other types of military agreements, as part of a comprehensive security arrangement.

Wol, described as “good” the relationship between South Sudan and the UN, citing the cooperation and coordination in stabilizing the country’s hotspot areas.

“Our working relationship with the UN is good. There is no problem”, he said.

A distinguished officer with military career spanning over 36 years, Lt. Gen. Subramanian previously served as the Additional Director General for Procurement and Equipment Management at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army) (2019-2021), General Officer Commanding a Strike Infantry Division (2018-2019), Deputy General Officer Commanding of Infantry Division (2015-2016), Commander of a Mountain Brigade (2013-2014), among other appointments.

A holder of Masters of Philosophy Degrees in Defence and Management Studies and Social Sciences,  the Indian officer fluently speaks Tamil, English and Hindi.

(ST)