There are thousands of forces across the country waiting to be graduated and deployed. Courtesy

The Joint Defense Board has agreed to graduate the soldiers at the training centers to form a national army as stipulated in the revitalized peace agreement.

According to the 2018 peace accord the national unified forces will consist of 83,000 soldiers drawn from the rival South Sudan parties and the SSPDF.

The agreement provides for the unification of the rival forces to form the first professional national army.

The training started at the start of the year across all training centers in the country.

Speaking to the media after a meeting of the JDB yesterday, the Co-chair, General Aldo Gabriel said the meeting agreed on the immediate graduation of peace soldiers within 30 days.

“We have resolved to continue to implement the security arrangement in letter and spirit,” said Gen. Aldo Gabriel.

“We have resolved that we are going to conduct the graduation of the national unified forces as from tomorrow onward within a period of 30 days we will have to see into it that the process is accomplished and this is to show our determination to implement the security arrangement as agreed upon.”

For his part, the Chief of Defense Forces, General Gabriel Jok Riak called on the board members to speed up the implementation process of security arrangements.

“Nothing should stop us or delay or derail the process,” he said.

According to the Revitalized Peace Agreement, the transitional government shall finish the building of a national army, police, national security service, and other organized forces before the end of the Transitional Period.