Kiir officiates at infantry school graduation, opens primary school in Rumbek

By Manyang Mayom

September 8, 2009 (RUMBEK) – Several hundred officers of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) graduated from a training center near Rumbek in a ceremony officiated over by SPLA Commader-in Chief Salva Kiir Mayardit, the president of the semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan.

Kiir arrived to Rumbek on Monday at 2:00 p.m. He was received at Lakes state airstrip by Lakes state Governor Lt. Gen. Daniel Awet Akot with his cabinet, as well as MPs and high-ranking officers from the SPLA unit of Malou Infantry School.

Major General Kuol Diem Kuol, official SPLA spokesman, said by phone from Malou Infantry School of Lakes state on Tuesday that Kiir came this morning at 10:00 a.m. for the graduation of senior officers.

“He came and passed out the rank of colonel or lieutenant colonel to 454 graduates; for the last four months, Malou SPLA commanding staffs have been intensively trained in military tactics, military leadership, defense economics, humanitarian law including human rights and the SPLA white paper on defense,” said the SPLA spokesman.

Kiir instructed that 252 senior officers remain in combat units, deploying in various SPLA units, while 200 are to deploy to other forces such as fire brigades, police forces, prison guards and wildlife forces, Kuol noted.

The graduation ceremony at Malou was attended by Minister of SPLA Affairs Lt. Gen. Nhial Deng Nhial, as well as various senior operations units. The delegation also included Government of Southern Sudan Minister of Finance H.E. David Deng Athorbei, as well as the state governor with his deputy David Nok Marial, state ministers and MPs.

Kuol affirmed that “our expectation in this training is that the SPLA will continue its effort in having a capable SPLA which can perform its activities well, to achieve its mission as defined in the Constitution of Southern Sudan.”

Diem concluded that this is the fourth period of training held in Malou Infantry School since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in 2005.

Meanwhile, FVP Kiir officially opened Matangai Primary School. Students of the school lined up on the roadside to welcome him. It was the first time Mayardit had officially opened any infrastructure building in Rumbek since the state government came into being in 2005.

Matangai Primary School was built through the effort of Rumbek Central County Commissioner Abraham Makoi Bol Kodi who usually collected local state market revenue for the project. During the opening ceremony for the new school building, Kiir departed to Juba without a word to the crowd of public and students.

There are challenges for the new school, said a community leader. It has a total of 830 pupils of which 300 are girls. There are only 14 teachers who are teaching them in 12 classes. The mentioned teachers are inadequate for the number of pupils and most of these teachers are untrained. There is no school furniture for either the pupils or their teachers. There is also a shortage of water because one hand pump is never enough for 830 pupils and the neighboring village’s population, said community representative Samuel Mabor Kedit in his speech.

(ST)