Communication Office

PRESS RELEASE

(For Immediate Publication)

Friday, 01 February 2019, Juba, South Sudan       

Establishment of cantonment, training sites key for S. Sudan army unification, says RJMEC

Establishment of numbers, training sites and start dates of cantonment remains an essential step towards the effective unification of South Sudan security forces, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) has   said.
 
Speaking during the official closing ceremony of a two-day workshop on Friday in Juba, RJMEC Interim Chairperson Ambassador Lt. Gen. Augostino Njoroge said: 
 
“Declaring the numbers, locations and start dates of cantonment and training sites (for forces) is essential to be able to move forward to the next decisive phase of unification of forces.”
 
The workshop was convened on Thursday by RJMEC, and was attended by chairpersons and members of all the security mechanisms responsible for the implementation of the Permanent Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements of the Revitalized peace Agreement. 
 
The mechanisms established under Chapter II of the Agreement are the Joint Defence Board, the Joint Military Ceasefire Commission, the Joint Transitional Security Committee and the Strategic Defence and Security Review Board.
 
“The issue of training will become critical when unifying and sustaining the national South Sudanese defence and security forces. The Joint Transitional Security Committee (JTSC) should therefore develop rigorous criteria for training,” Lt Gen Njoroge continued. 
 
Yours is sensitive work, Ambassador Njoroge told members of the security mechanisms, “but vital aspects such as trust, truthfulness, and clarity of objectives were all debated (at the workshop) in a collegiate and professional manner.” 
 
“I expect that your work will continue in this constructive way. The gaps and challenges that are common in tasks such as yours will be more easily overcome through discipline and continued cooperation.” 

ENDS