Graduate unified forces to avoid deserting of centres

On Thursday, peace soldiers at Mapel training centre in Western Bahr el Ghazal State requested to be allowed to return home to cater to their families as they wait to be graduated, Eye Radio reported.

Some of those who voiced their frustrations on Eye Radio said they are also in dire need of food and clean drinking water.

One of the trainees who chose to be named only Garang was quoted by Eye Radio saying the situation was getting tough at the onset of the rainy season.

“We have completed the training a long time ago, we are ready for graduation, we are in the rainy season, our children are tired at home and we are tired at the training centre,” Garang protested.

“I am a soldier and I have to endure the situation but it should not be to this level, it should not be hunger: no food, no money for my family and no graduation; this is too much. You can come and see this situation by yourself, there is no food here at all,” he said.

This is a serious concern that may further delay the graduation should the forces desert the training centre and return home. It is arguable that the majority of them may return because they have been in the centre since 2019. Imagine most of them had left the centres and only returned when they were called for verification.  

The authorities had promised to graduate them immediately after the verification but already more than five months have passed behind the deadline.

So, the parties should expedite the graduation process because other forces in other training centres might be thinking of leaving like their colleagues in Mapel. They may equally like to go back home to look after their families and this would have a huge setback should they decide to do so.

There is already a unified command structure, which should have made it easier to graduate the forces so that they are integrated to form a national army.

However, as much as there are no unified forces, the unified command will remain unconnected because they do not have any forces to control. Hence, it is important to bring all forces under one unified command to enhance security in the country.

Therefore, the leadership of the armed parties needs to speed up the process for the graduation of the Unified forces this would, in turn, improve the security situation in the country and persuade the displaced persons to return homes.