By Editorial Team
China has donated 3.1 million facemasks to South Sudanese soldiers awaiting graduation at training camps across the country.
The donation was handed over to South Sudan’s government on Monday.
The soldiers are awaiting graduation at the training camps to form an integral part of South Sudan’s national army as provided for in the peace agreement being implemented.
They are derived from various armed groups that were fighting each other between 2013 to 2018.
The Chinese embassy in Juba said Beijing will continue supporting South Sudan’s peace process.
“China will continue to work with all parties to make unremitting efforts to support the peace process in South Sudan.” Hua Ning, the Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan said while handing over the facemasks.
China also donated food and medicines for soldiers undergoing training in South Sudan.
It has built boreholes to supply water to the troops in the training centers and further provided office equipment for the armed forces.
South Sudan’s government said it’s making progress in the implementation of the 2018 peace deal.
However, a peace monitoring body set up by the African Union known as the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission or RJMEC warned that the implementation of the peace deal won’t be completed within the one year which is left for the process to be complete.
“The agreement is expected to end on 23/2/2023 and the period that is left is very short,” Charles Tai Gituai, the chairperson of RJMEC said.
“There are very critical issues that are not yet accomplished particularly the unification of forces, constitution making process, the necessary legal frameworks, more particularly the constitution law so I am appealing to the unity government to come up with a roadmap that’s acceptable by all parties,” Gituai said.
China said lasting peace in the East African country can only be realized by combined efforts from the South Sudanese people and the international community.
