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

Representatives of SPLM-IO and Former Detainees to the ceasefire monitoring body CTSAM-VM have said forces derived from their armed wings have been discriminated against in the payment of salaries.

The military officials spoke at the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring and Verification Mechanism meeting on Wednesday.

They said some of their forces who have graduated and were deployed are not even receiving similar military consignment of food and uniforms.

Major General Andrea Mungu, who represents SPLM/A-IO in the ceasefire body said the situation is against the spirit of peace agreement implementation.

General Mungu said the unity government should treat the unified forces equally.

“Our forces that who are already deployed, are having some challenges, they have been deployed as a unified force, but they still have different names of parties,” he said.

“When there is any kind of items taken from store, from Juba here to where they are deployed, it is going in the name of parties, you will find that IO stand as IO, SSOA stand as SSOA and the IG.”

“When there is food, when there is uniform, that is the way they distribute there in the training centers. This means that we don’t have a unified force up to now.”

“Coming to salary, the forces are not yet in the system, but they call themselves unified force, they are not getting anything, they remain like that, and others are getting.”

“It means that unification is just a fake name given to them, when we are already united, it means that everything should be equal without segregation.”

For his part, the representative of Former Detainees to CTSA-VM warned that the lack of payment to the peace soldiers may result into harassment of the citizens.

Major General Bior Leek called on the government to pay the soldiers timely.

“I myself I don’t see those forces as a unified force, some of the forces have not been paid up to date today, while if you do not pay those forces first of all they will violate the right of the citizens,” Bior said.

“They will go our looking for food, they will go out harassing the citizens. So, I’m urging the NTC and the government to pay the forces.”

Major General Jany Kaway, who is representing the South Sudan Opposition Alliance, or SSOA’s hopes the parties will work together for the sake of peace in the country.

“We need to think critically, hopefully we shall work as a team for the sake of peace in our country. In fact, we are the back born of this peace and we will find out what can take this country to achieve permanent peace in South Sudan.”

The issue first surfaced in October last year, when SPLA-IO spokesperson said their troops and that of SSOA which are part of the Necessary Unified Force never received salary since graduation in August 2022.

In his response, SSPDF Spokesperson Major General Lul Ruai Koang confirmed that the opposition forces have not been paid, because they were not budgeted for by the National Transitional Committee before their graduation.

Gen Lul said the matter had reached the attention of the Command and that a supplementary budget will be submitted to enable the opposition forces get paid along their SSPDF counterparts.

But since then, opposition forces still decry being left out of the payroll.

Civil servants and security forces in South Sudan sometimes go for months without their monthly salary accrued, a situation which they partly blame on insecurities in Juba, and parts of the country.