The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) said on Thursday that the delayed security arrangement implementation has frustrated South Sudanese, demanding the government to clarify its plan on the matter.

Speaking during its 20^th monthly meeting, RJMEC Chairperson, Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai expressed disappointment over the failure to implement the president’s directive on the deployment of the screening committee since last month.

“We are now past the mid-way of the timeline of the Transitional Period. The parties are far behind schedule in the implementation of key tasks. As we close the year 2021, therefore, we need clarity from the Revitalised Government of National Unity (RTGONU) on its plan for the implementation of the outstanding tasks in the coming 14 months,” Maj. Gen. Gituai said.

“It is now over two months since the President directed the deployment of three assessment teams to training centres in preparation for the graduation of phase one of the necessary unified forces.

 “It is disheartening to see that this directive of the Presidency has not been carried out,” he added.

Maj. Gen. Gituai expressed concerns over continuous defections of senior military officials mainly from the SPLA-IO to the SSPDF, saying it “erodes trust amongst the two parties and public confidence in the peace process.”

Besides, he said the living conditions of cantonment sites and training centres were dire, and that the occupants continued to abandon the sites in search of food and other essentials for survival.

“The situation has undermined the morale of security forces deployed or in training and risks eroding their trust in the political leadership of the country,” Maj. Gen. Gituai said. 

Languishing in camps

The security arrangement – training, graduation, and graduation of the 83, 000 required unified forces – has been plagued by delays, with parties trading blame.

Last month, President Salva Kiir turned the blame on First Vice President Dr Riek Machar for failing to streamline rampant ranks within his forces to conform to the standardised army organisation.

The establishment of the screening committees was agreed on by the Presidency in October to assess and screen the joint trainees to enable the graduation of the first batch of the necessary unified forces without action to date.

Despite the fact that the SSPDF Spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai attributed the delay to financial and logistical support, CTSAMVM commended the SPLA-IO for embarking on the activity amidst the said challenges.

“The three regional committees of the JDB responsible for assessing the situation in the training centres to start processing the forces for graduation have yet to start because of resources.”

“However, we noted that the leadership of the SPLM/A-IO has resolved to dispatch its components of the committees to the training centres to screen and reorganize the SPLM/A-IO forces without waiting for the required resources,” CTSAMVM Chairperson, Maj. Gen. Teshome Gemechu Aderie said on December 7.