1,700 Sudanese former rebels integrated in national army

Army and rebels exchange accusations over Juba Peace agreement implementation

By Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) - A total of 1,700 former rebels have been trained and integrated in the Sudanese national army as required by the Juba Peace agreement signed in 2020.

The army, rebel groups in the country, and the UN envoy confirmed the figure.

In an address to his Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-Northern sector, rebel leader Malik Agar said more than 700 fighters in the troubled region of Blue Nile were trained and integrated in the national army.

He, however, added that there are many obstacles to the implementation of security arrangements in the agreement, including the lack of financial support.

Volker Perthes, UN's special envoy to Sudan, urged all parties to speed up the implementation of the peace deal.

“However, this two-year anniversary is another stark reminder that much remains to be done. There is an urgent need for the full implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement’s provisions including security arrangements and the swift deployment of the Joint Security Keeping Forces to ensure the protection of civilians, the establishment of relevant commissions such as the Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, the Transitional Justice Commission, the Land and Hawakeer Commission, as well as other provisions on wealth and power sharing, nomads and reparations,” Perthes said in a statement on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Darfur rebels and the army exchanged accusations of delay in the implementation of the security arrangements.

Darfur ruler Mini Arko Minawi said the army has delayed the formation of the joint civil protection forces, which was supposed to include 12,000 fighters from both sides.

However, Sudanese Armed Forces spokesman Nabil Abdullah has denied the accusations, saying that the formation of the civil protection forces has faced wide obstacles, especially from the rebel groups.

The Juba Peace agreement was signed in October 2020, but the two sides have exchanged blames over the implementation of the agreement.

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