The lack of an established unified army structure is a major reason delaying the graduation of the first batch of the necessary unified forces, a senior member of the Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangement, Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) has said.

Thousands of combined forces from the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) and forces from the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) who completed training months ago are yet to be graduated.

It has been almost one year since the training of joint forces commenced early this year, contrary to the provision of Chapter Two of security arrangement which states that period for the training and redeployment of necessary unified forces shall not exceed eight months from the start of the pre-transitional period.

According to Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Kuong, SSPDF Spokesperson, the process was being delayed by lack of finance, which was yet to be released by the government through the Ministry of Finance and Planning.

This has compelled some of the trainees, according to CTSAMVM Acting Chairperson, Maj. Gen. Dafaalla Hamid Mohammed, to desert the training centers due to hardships, with no plans yet in place for the graduation and redeployment process of the forces.

“The training centers lack resources and Joint Defense Board (JDB) to date has not provided any plan for the deployment of trainees. A great deal remains to be done,” Hamid said during the CTSAMVM technical meeting last week in Juba.

But Maj. Gen. Biar Leek Kuareng, member of CTSAMVM and Representative of Former Detainees (FD) revealed that the delay was largely caused by lack of formation of unified army structure which had not been established to command graduated forces.

“We urge the government, SPLA-IO and parties to the agreement to sit and graduate all these forces and to establish the structure of unified army.

“We are still very far. The forces have finished all the trainings but they will not be graduated because if we graduate those forces, under which command will they fall? Until to date the structure of the command is not there. Who will hold the responsibility of these forces if to date they are graduated?”  Leek revealed.

Early September, a senior SPLA-IO officer, frustrated by the slow pace of the peace implementation processes, shifted allegiance to SSPDF under President Salva Kiir, triggered a violent conflict in Moroto, which the ceasefire monitoring body is yet to investigate.

But a senior representative of SSOA to CTSAMVM, Maj. Gen. David Nyang said such movement could take the country back to war if it is encouraged by leaders as parties were aiming at the possibility of unification of forces.

“We wonder where are they going. It doesn’t make sense that a military group has to move from one party to another.  That could trigger a big problem because we have only days or months to have a unified army. We urge the leadership that this practice should be discouraged completely,” Nyang said.