South Sudan’s unity government has initiated the deployment of a joint military force comprising soldiers from both conflicting factions that resolved their dispute in 2018.
The deployment marks a significant milestone in the September 2018 revitalized peace agreement, which was signed by President Salva Kiir and his former rival turned first vice-president, Riek Machar.
The first group of troops departed from the capital, Juba, on Wednesday morning.
The battalion consisted of 750 soldiers en route to Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile State located in the northern region of the country.
A separate group will be dispatched to Northern Bahr El-Ghazal, situated in the northwestern part of the country.
In August of the previous year, a total of 53,000 soldiers, marking the initial group for the unified armed forces, completed their training.
This force constitutes the first batch of police and army officers trained for national service since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.
The deployment of these soldiers was initially anticipated to happen promptly, but it encountered delays.
In July, President Salva Kiir declared the long-awaited elections for the country, confirming that they will take place next year. Set for December 2024, these polls will mark the inaugural elections in the world’s newest nation.
