Trainees are seen in sandals or flip-flops at the Maridi Training Center on Saturday, Feb 29, 2020. Credit | Haitham Aweet

Soldiers cantoned at a training center in Maridi, Western Equatoria State, say they still have no uniform, salary, and shelters. 

The training center in Maridi is hosting 1 thousand and 6 hundred and seventy soldiers mainly the government, SPLA-IO and SSOA forces.

In December 2019, the government allocated $40 million to speed up the training of the unified national army.

However, the forces at the cantonment sites do not have basic needs and are faced with severe logistical challenges.

Some soldiers even died in these training centers due to limited supplies of medicines, and hard living conditions.

“We have no money. Officials are always saying that they are bringing our money, but they never show up,” Mike Mike (real name was withdrawn) told reporters in Maridi at the weekend.

“And don’t forget we have children too. They expect a lot from us too, especially basic needs.”

In 2019, the Army Chief, Gen. Gabriel Jok Riak, told the soldiers to choose sacrifice for the country over salaries – a statement that angered members of the general public.

Several people questioned why soldiers would still go hungry when the country gets roughly $5 million per month from oil sales.

“We don’t have a lot of things like mattresses and shelters, boots and uniforms. We participate in a parade without shoes. We are surfing from,” a trainee lamented.

There are 35 cantonment sites identified by the Joint Defense Board in the country, according to the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism or CTSAMVM.

Ten sites have been occupied by the SSPDF, 24 sites have been occupied by opposition forces, while one site in Renk remains unoccupied.

“The majority of these soldiers have contracted respiratory diseases due to poor living conditions here,” another soldier explained.

Several calls to have the NPTC account for its spending appear to have gone unheeded.