General Garang Ayii Akol, Assistant Chief of Defense Forces and Co-Chair of the Joint Defense Board | Credit: Courtesy

A senior army officer from the South Sudan Opposition Alliance said the group has welcomed the distribution of 350 senior positions to peace parties in the army.

Lieutenant General Garang Ayii Akol who doubles as the Assistant Chief of Defense Forces and Co-chair of SSPDF’s Joint Defense Board says, this is because the forces have waited for this process for so long.

SSOA has secured 10 positions in the SSPDF military headquarters and its command structure.

General Garang Ayii expressed his group’s willingness to work for peace and stability in South Sudan.

“As Co-chair or representative of SSOA, we are ok with these positions and percentages which are given to us,” said Gen Ayii.

“We have already submitted our lists to the vice president and the vice president is the one to present it to the president of the republic after that.”

“Each one will get his/her position in the new deployment, they have been patient enough,” he said.

“The big part of the agreement went on, at least the chapter five in the security arrangements, but also after the graduation and the deployment which will happen to the senior officers.”

The peace parties are now left with the redeployment of the forces as the next step.

But First Vice President Dr Riek Machar is yet to submit the names of his appointees for confirmation.