Necessary Unified Forces pictured during the graduation parade at John Garang Mausoleum. | 30th August 2022. | Photo: Lou Nelson.

South Sudan’s Council of Ministers on Friday approved over 3 billion South Sudanese pounds ($3m) to facilitate the deployment of the first batch of the necessary unified forces.

The proposed equivalent of 3 million United States dollars was tabled before the cabinet meeting by the Minister of Peace Building Stephen Par Kuol.

Speaking to reporters, government spokesman Michael Makuei said the Minister of Finance and Planning has been directed to pay the approved amount.

“The cabinet passed a sum of 3,671,588,100 South Sudanese pounds. This is the budget which is allocated for the current forces which were graduated and are still in the training centers,” Makuei said.

“This is the money that will be used for their deployment and all the other necessary arrangements so that the centers are empty and phase two of the plan can start.”

In November 2022, the unity government passed out at least 49,500 members of the necessary unified forces across the country.

21,000 of them graduated from Central Equatoria State, 13,600 graduated from the Greater Bahr el Ghazal Region and another 9,300 in Upper Nile state.

Further, 1,500 peace forces were passed out in Eastern Equatoria State, in addition to 2,000 who graduated in Western Equatoria State in September 2022 and 1,701 in Bor.

Unspecified thousands of the forces also graduated in the Unity State capital Bentiu.

The 2018 revitalized peace deal expects the unity government to graduate 83,000 unified forces drawn from the various parties to take charge of security during the ongoing transitional period.