Unified soldiers at a training center. | 23RD August 2022. | Photo: Lou Nelson/Eye Radio.

Director General of the Internal Bureau of National Security, Lt. General Akol Koor has urged the unified VIP Protection Unit to guard against tribalism and embrace the spirit of unity, ahead of their graduation.

The top security chief made the call during Tuesday’s visit of the joint security mechanism to unified officers trained in Gorom, 30 miles west of the capital Juba.

Addressing the VIP protection unit, General Akol Koor urged them to be professional in their soon-to-be various deployment units.

“We have a big enemy and that is tribalism, it is an enemy because it divides people and can destroy South Sudan,” he said.

“The second enemy is poverty. We are hungry, our people are sick, no hospitals because what we are known of in this country is killing ourselves, this is what is known in this country.”

“We have resources and rain for 8 months and we are not benefiting from them because we are killing ourselves. Let it stop.”

The more than 3,000 peace soldiers are expected to graduate next week, after many failed attempts to unify the country’s armed groups into a single force with a central goal of ensuring national security.

According to the Institute for Security Studies, task of security sector reform in South SUdan has been frustrated by a militarized political culture that could see political tensions boiling over into armed conflict.

The institute said both the ruling party and opposition in the country, are founded on military movements with weak political wings.

As a result, the lines are blurred between the leadership and the armed forces, whereas the tendency reinforces ethnic divisions that impede unification of forces.

“The armed forces have become powerful instruments aligned to individuals rather than the state,” the Think-tank said in a report last year.

For his part, Gen. Santino Deng Wol, the Chief of Defense Forces of the national army SSPDF told the soldiers to embrace peace and dedicate their lives for protection of the country’s territory.

“We don’t have any relations with political parties, all over the world, soldiers are not related to politics, we should not bring politics to our parades. We are not politicians,” he said.

Gen. Deng also called on them to desist from politics.

“You are soldiers of South Sudan, your primary role is to protect the people of South Sudan, your mandate is to protect the territorial integrity of this country.”

“You should be a nationalist, stand with your country and the people. Let’s shun tribalism and embrace peace. You are not born to destroy your country or do harm to people.”

Transforming the former SPLA, now SSPDF, into a professional army has been a promise made by several former Chiefs of Defense Forces.

But experts said the task has not been easy – considering the rampant corruption by top military leaders, and the level of illiteracy among the soldiers.

They reported that the army is still loyal to individual politicians and community leaders.

A Sentry report said that South Sudan has more military generals than doctors.

Meanwhile, Gen. Gabriel Duop, the Deputy Chief of Defense Forces said the peace soldiers should preserve and defend the constitution and the country when they take up their roles.

“After your graduation you are going to become a national army, you have to work hard and unite among yourselves because you are very important, the VIP protection.

“You are going to the town to become the protection of VIP and the country, you have a lot of work to do. After your graduation we are going to talk to you every now and then to make sure that you are united. Prepare your uniform.”

The protection unit is a crucial force that assures the safety and security of officials of the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity who took office in February 2020.

They are part of the 83, 000 forces needed to form a unified army, national security and police services –as agreed upon in the September 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.