South Sudanese army to hold military drills on Monday

August 20, 2016 (JUBA) – The command of South Sudan army (SPLA) announced on Saturday that it will on Monday hold multiple military drills of the rapid reaction forces.

The event, according to a statement from the army, will involve the use of different weapons as well as aircraft and helicopters in the drills which will be carried out at Gorom.

Military sources say the recruits largely drawn by the ethnic group of President Salva Kiir and his army chief of general staff, Paul Malong Awan, have been trained by foreign instructors from Egypt and neigbouring Uganda to perform airborne landing to seize an enemy’s airfield and retain it until the arrival of the main forces.

The recruits also received an advance reconnaissance detachment training about the Airborne Force held reconnaissance and tactics related to search operations, camouflage blocked and destroyed the command posts of illegal armed formations after seizing bridge-crossing sites in the area of responsibility of the rapid reaction collective forces.

“The SPLA GHQs has announced that the SPLA Military Academy in Gorom shall be conducting live fire exercise on Monday 22nd August from 0600 hours to 1100 hours. The drill is aimed at honing the assault intensity, precision, stability and speed of troops”, the statement obtained by the Sudan Tribune and widely circulated on social and other media sources for purpose of information reads in part.

It urged residents of Gorom to avoid the area for their own safety. The direction of fire will be West and Northwest. It also urged the public not to panic.

The recruits shall be conducting the exercise using AK-47 assault rifles, PKM light machine guns and RPG launchers, the army’s statement further stressed.

(ST)