FILE: President Salva Kiir, and his then VP, Dr. Riek Machar in Juba in 2012.

President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar have agreed to a security arrangement that will ensure creation of a security sector free of tribalism and ethnic affiliations.

This is part of the Permanent Ceasefire deal that the two leaders signed during the Khartoum talks yesterday.

Political analysts had earlier alluded that the conflict in 2013 and 2016 exposed ethnic divisions in the military that they said aggravated the magnitude of the violence.

Since the clashes between the forces, there has been intensified calls by different actors for the national army to be re-constituted to reflect the ethnic dynamics in the country.

The 2015 peace agreement had also provided for a similar security reform, but it has not yet been implemented.

However, the peace document signed by President Kiir and Dr Machar in Khartoum yesterday, involves building an inclusive security sector for the country.

“The security arrangement that shall be adopted shall aim at building a national army, police and other security organs of an all-inclusive character that shall be free from tribalism and ethnic affiliations. Policies shall also be agreed upon to for the disarmament of civilians all over the country,” Sudanese Foreign affairs Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed reading part of the points the two principals agreed on.

President Kiir and Dr Machar have also agreed for the current forces in active combat to be disengaged and separated from close proximity including withdrawal of all allied troops.

The agreement comes in to effect within 72 hours from the time of signing.