President Salva Kiir addressing the public during the 100 years centenary celebrations of the Catholic Diocese of Juba in Rajaf East on November 1, 2019. Credit/South Sudan Presidential Press Unit

President Salva Kiir has called on the region to provide special protection to leaders who are skeptical about being part of a revitalized transitional government of national unity.

Kiir reiterated his intentions to form a coalition government this month, as stipulated in the agreement.

Last week, Kiir and SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar failed to agree over the timely formation of the coalition government.

Machar said that the ceasefire and a revitalized government would face serious challenges if the forces were not trained and unified.

He called for another extension to allow for full implementation of the security arrangements and the determination of the number of states.

But Kiir and several other party leaders insisted that the coalition government must be established on 12 November.

Rebecca Nyandeng Garang, an eminent personality in the peace deal made the suggestion last week that the UN should avail a special protection unit to enable Dr. Riek Machar to participate in the transitional government of national unity.

She said the opposition leader’s security fears should not hold back-formation of the coalition government this month.

But with less than two weeks to the November 12 deadline, the parties have failed to train half of 83,000 troops needed for the national army, national security and the police services.

Since the extension, some soldiers have been registered and cantoned in various designated sites across the country.

However, hundreds of soldiers have been forced to abandon the training camps due to lack of food, shelter, clean drinking water and medical supplies.

The government has largely been blamed for failing to release the full amount of the 100 million U.S dollars it pledged for the implementation of the security arrangement.

But President Kiir says despite the challenges, he was serious about forming the government this month.

“There is no reason for another extension,” he asserted.

He was speaking on [today] Friday afternoon in Rajaf during the centenary celebrations of the 100 years of the catholic diocese of Juba.

“VIPs who do not feel safe can be given additional security by our partners to protect them until such time when the outstanding part of the security arrangements are completed, and they feel secured under the new VIP Protection Unit and the Unified Force.”

The President Kiir on Thursday announced that he would be releasing the money for the implementation of the pending issues.

He admitted that the government has been slow to release the funds required by the National Pre-Transitional Committee.

“We are determined and very much committed to the disbursement of the money the government pledged,” Kiir told top military officers at the 7th SSPDF Military Command Council at Bilpam.