SSPDF moving to training site in Mapel on Dec 30, 2019. Credit: Deng Dimo/Eye Radio.

Government and opposition forces have arrived Mapel training centre ahead of commencement of the screening, registration and training of the unified forces as part of critical security arrangements of the revitalized peace agreement.

On Monday, the Fifth Infantry Division in Wau state dispatched nearly 1,000 forces to Mapel military training center after the Joint Transitional Security Committee on Sunday deployed 1,000 unified instructors to the site to train the forces.

Addressing the forces, the Division Commander Maj. General Gum Makuac urged the forces to cooperate with their former enemies during the training as they will work together to implement the September 2018 peace deal.

“You are going as the army of the country, you will have other forces joining you from the SPLA-IO and SSOA for the training in Dakum area,” Maj. General Makuac told the South Sudan Peoples’ Defense Forces while flagging them off from Girinti military base.

“I want to assure you that from the moment you leave this place, everything is ready for you in Mapel. So comrades, this is screening and registration and mixing of forces to be called unified forces between SPLM-IO, SSOA and the government forces, so I want you to go with morals,” he added.

Meanwhile the Joint Military Ceasefire Committee (JMCC) has confirmed the arrival of the opposition forces at the training centre in Masana Biira in Wau state. They arrived last evening from Ngwa-Alima cantonment site.

According to the head of JMCC Bahr el Ghazal region, the forces will be screened and registered before handing them to the Joint Transitional Security Committee for training.

“As you have seen in the parade, we have transported organized forces from Ngwa-Alima to Masana Biira and the same applied to people coming from Raga, they will arrive tonight,” said Brig. Gen. Ayuen Dut Thon adding hat forces from Pan-tid will also arrive tonight.

“We have brought them to the training centre and the Joint Transitional Security Committee is in charge of training. They will take over the responsibility of the training and for us, we will complete our mandate within the training centre by final screening using biometric registration system,” Gen. Ayuen added.

In November, parties to the revitalized peace agreement extended the pre-transitional period to February 2020 to allow for complete implementation of the security arrangements.

They include the cantonment, training and the unification of the necessary 83,000 forces into one professional national army.