Salva Kiir hails joint Sudanese army-SPLA command of Equatoria
June 24, 2006 (JUBA) — First Vice-President and President of Southern Sudan Government Lt General Salva Kiir Myardit has affirmed that handing over of the Equatoria Military Area Command to the Joint/Integrated Units (JIU) constitutes clear evidence that the two parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) are pressing ahead in implementing it on the ground.
The Command of the Joint Forces of the government and Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) Saturday 24 June received the Military Command of the Equatorian Military Area in Juba city.
Salva Kiir said that the joint units could be the nucleus for the national army if the south votes for unity in the referendum. He praised the close cooperation between the Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. He called for completing implementation of the CPA items, referring to the efforts being made by the President Omer al-Bashir to implement the CPA.
Present at the occasion besides the First Vice-President and President of South Sudan Government, Salva Kiir, were the Deputy Chief of Staff, Lt. General Mohamed Ismail Ali Al-Sheikh, the spokesman of the Armed Forces, General Oyae Deng Brigadier Osman Mohamed Al-Aghbash, along with a commanders of the Armed Forces and SPLA.
Addressing the delivery ceremony, Deputy Chief of Staff, Lt. General Mohamed Ismail Ali Al-Sheikh, affirmed the Armed Forces’ commitment to the implementation of the CPA.
He said that the delivery of the command of the Equatorian Military Area to the Joint Command represented a strong evidence of the Armed Forces’ readiness to implement the item of the security arrangements in the CPA.
The Chairman of the Joint Defence Council, General Oyae Deng, also stressed the SPLM keenness to implement all clauses of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including the security arrangements item.
He referred to the recent delivery of the command of Hamesh Koreb area in eastern Sudan to the Armed Forces. He said that the SPLM and the Armed Forces are working in full cooperation to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
The flag of the joint integrated units was hoisted in the premises of the Headquarters of the Equatoria Military Area, General Al-Aghbash said. He explained that the CPA has completed its second year without any breach.
He affirmed that the Joint/Integrated units face a challenge of maintaining the national sovereignty and protecting the Sudanese lands against any external attacks, expressing hope that the joint units will be a basis for the National Army following the referendum.
(ST)