UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres. ( Photo: Courtesy).

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on the South Sudan government to fast-track unification of force, starting with the harmonization of the middle command structure for the army and police in the country.

Guterres said this is crucial for ensuring the successful organization of credible, transparent and democratic elections in December 2024.

He made the remarks in a report on 15th April where he highlighted key benchmarks of the peace roadmap the government needed to implement for the UN to lift the arms embargo on South Sudan due at the end of May.

These include the completion of the Strategic Defence and Security Review process contained in the Revitalized Agreement, the formation of a unified command structure for the new security force including the training, graduation and redeployment of the forces.

The UN secretary general also called for allocation of adequate resources for the redeployment exercise, as wells as the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process.

“The deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces across the country is crucial for ensuring the successful organization of credible, transparent and democratic elections in December 2024,” Guterres said.

He stressed the need to provide the required resources to the unified forces and finalize the redeployment of the first phase of graduated personnel with prompt training for the second phase.

“I reiterate my call to the Revitalized Transitional Government to fast-track the harmonization of the middle command structure for the SSPDF and the National Police Service, accelerate the provision of required resources to the unified forces, and finalize the redeployment of the first batch of graduated personnel.”

He also called for the development and implementation of a plan to collect and dispose long-and medium-range heavy weapons with a time-bound plan for the complete and verifiable demilitarization of all civilian areas.

The unity government is also required to properly manage their existing arms and ammunition stockpiles, including by establishing the necessary planning documents, protocols and training for the recording, storage, distribution and management of the weapons and ammunition.

According to Guterres, the transitional government has made some progress against the formation of a unified command structure and addressing sexual-related violence.

The UN boss also called upon the government and the Strategic Defence and Security Review Board to move forward and facilitate the commencement of security sector reforms.

He added that although he is encouraged by initiatives for civilian voluntary disarmament and community violence reduction, he remain deeply concerned about the lack of progress on the collection and disposal of long- and medium- range heavy weapons.

According to him, this lack of progress underscores the continued lack of trust between the parties.

In the meantime, Guterres said he welcomes the ongoing collaboration between the National Police Service and UNMISS on weapons and ammunition training.

He encourages the government to continue working with the UN, international and regional partners to enhance efforts aimed at promoting the physical security, and stockpile management of weapons and ammunition throughout the country.