JUBA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's army said on Wednesday the unification of the armed forces in the border town of Yei is in progress in a bid to strengthen the ongoing effort to implement the revitalized peace deal.
Lul Ruai Koang, army spokesman, told Xinhua in Juba that South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) and Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) have assembled 3,000 forces to jumpstart the training and armed unification in the border town of Yei before the May 12 deadline.
"As we speak, both the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army In-Opposition (SPLA-IO) have contributed 1,500 soldiers each to start training in Yei as the first batch of the soldiers to be trained to form a unified army as stipulated in the agreement," Koang said.
He added that the process is part of the confidence-building, noting that the exercise will enhance security of civilians and allow unhindered humanitarian access Yei river region near Ugandan border.
Koang said the move is to speed up the professionalization process of the army that has struggled to shed off the insurgent character within its ranks.
South Sudan ascended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world.
The United Nations estimates that 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally.
In September 2018, South Sudan's conflicting parties signed a final peace deal in Ethiopia after negotiations brokered by the Sudanese government and mandated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Africa.
