South Sudanese army says ready for deployment of forces outside Juba

February 4, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese army (SPLA) on Thursday said its forces are ready to deploy outside the national capital, Juba, in preparation to receive forces from the armed opposition faction led by former Vice-president, Riek Machar. However, it added the government had no resources to establish military camps 25km from the national capital as provided for in the security arrangements of the August 2015 peace agreement.

Lieutenant General Malek Reuben Riak, deputy chief of general staff for logistics revealed on Thursday that preparations to demilitarize Juba and relocate the remaining units of the SPLA allied to the government have been completed and were waiting for directives and assistances to move to their new locations 25km.

“We have been ready from the time we signed the security arrangements matrix and indeed some of our forces have already moved out in compliance with the directives,” General Riak told Sudan Tribune on Thursday.

Genera Riak, who is the head of security arrangements committee representing the government, stressed the necessity to first provide essential services to where forces would be deployed outside Juba before they can begin to move out of the capital.

“Obviously you cannot send people to where there is no water, where there are no structures for living, no medical facilities. These are very important things to be taken into consideration,” he said.

He also confirmed that members of the armed opposition faction under the leadership of the former Vice-president, Riek Machar, represented in the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) participated in identification and assessing areas where forces would be redeployed.

CTSAMM is a body set up by the two sides and chaired by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC). It comprises military commanders representing the government, armed opposition leadership and other stakeholders.

The committee started on Tuesday visiting identified sites located along the Nimule-Torit road and Torit-Mangala road as well as proposed assembling points along the Kajokeji-Yei road on Wednesday.

Assessment of military barracks located along the Terekeka-Juba road concluded Thursday. It is not clear who supports the relocation exercise though officials are hoping JMEC, a body tasked to oversee the implementation of peace agreement, would provide support for the establishment of new military barracks outside Juba.

(ST)