Trucks of food consignment for the unified forces at the training centers. | 11th August 2022. | Awan Moses.

The National Transitional Committee has procured food items for the unified forces at various training centers, for the first time since 2020.

The 54 trucks were received in Juba on Wednesday, by the Chairperson of National Transitional Committee Tut Gatluak, as well as the head of Joint Transitional Security Committee, Lt. General Wesley Welebe.

Speaking to the press, Welebe, who doubles as SSPDF Assistant Chief of Defense Forces for Logistics, said the security mechanisms’ plan is to dispatch the food to training centers.

“At last, the first consignment of food that we want for the graduation of necessary unified forces, has arrived. We received now 54 trucks with all nine items inside,” said the military official.

General Welebe added that 70 more trucks loaded with more food items are on their way to Juba.

He called on soldiers and instructors who deserted the training sites to report to their camps since there is now plenty of food for them.

“We want the unified forces to move immediately to the training centers as from today, we want our instructors to move immediately to the training centers because the work is beginning.”

For his part, the Chairperson of the National Transitional Committee, Tut Gatluak said graduation of the peace soldiers is finally going as planned.

“Today is one of the best days, because we received the first patch of the food for the training centers, and today onward we don’t have any argument about the delaying of the graduation of the forces according to the plan that we put.”

The NTC leader, Tut Gatluak has been on the spotlight over failure of the mechanism to pay businessmen, who claimed they have been supplying food to the peace soldiers.

On Tuesday, the Minister of Cabinet Affairs said graduation of the unified forces will commence on the 30th of this month.

Dr Martin Elia made the announcement after a Presidency meeting in Juba, on that day.

The presidency’s extended meeting was chaired by President Salva Kiir, and attended by First Vice President Dr Riek Machar, Security Advisor Tut Gatluak, senior government officials, and members of the security mechanisms.

According to Dr Martin, the graduation of more than 52,000 forces will start in the Greater Equatoria region.

The figure is short of the required 83,000 unified forces provided for, in the 2018 revitalized peace deal.

The graduation has been postponed many times, with the government making constant failed pledges to graduate the forces.

Dozens of trainees are reported to have died of starvation and sickness in cantonment and training sites as they awaited the seemingly illusive graduation into the new national army.