Trainees during a visit of AU delegation on Friday, March 26, 2021. The peace soldiers are yet to be graduated | Credit | Lou Nelson/Eye Radio

More than 50 would-be soldiers and police officers have died while undergoing training at the Rajaf Unified Police Training center near Juba, the deputy chief instructor has said.

Col. James Khor Chuol says most of the trainees have been succumbing to treatable diseases since 2020.

“We have lost this good number of soldiers simply because we don’t have medicines, after we kept telling our bosses in JTSC, JDB and NTC that they should give a helping hand,” he said.

On Thursday, Eye Radio’s Emmanuel Joseph Akile accompanied a delegation to Rajaf Unified Police Training center.

Col. Khor made the remarks during the visit, disclosing that the government has for months not provided them with essential services such as food and shelter.

More than 4,000 trainees were paraded at the center to welcome the African Union Peace and Security Council delegation.

The council’s visit was to assess the center and listen to the trainees on some of the challenges facing them as they await graduation. They completed their training in June 2020.

But the transitional government has severally postponed their graduation and deployment, citing logistical constraints.

Chapter two of the revitalized peace agreement requires the cantonment, screening, and training of 83,000 Necessary Unified Forces to safeguard the peace deal.

During the AU visit to the center, many of the trainees looked tired and showed up for parade in flip-flops.

Col. Khor called on the Joint Transitional Security Committee, Joint Defense Board and the National Transitional Committee to expedite the graduation process.

He says the poor living condition is forcing trainees to desert the camp.

“We don’t have shelters – all the tents are torn completely – yet we are approaching the rainy season.  Cadets sleep outside, with some of them giving up and trying to run away,” Col. Khor.

Over the past year, Eye Radio has reported about challenges facing the training sites, including lack of food, shelter and medical supplies.

Addressing the trainees, the Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, Angelina Teny, appealed for more patience.

She admitted that little has been done to motivate the troops.

“Peace is alive because of these people, because of their determination, because of what they have put up with – including some of our shortcomings as their leaders,” said Ms Teny, who is also a member of Joint Defense Board, JDB.

In June 2020, representatives of the peace parties to the ceasefire monitoring body expressed concerns over the increasing death cases at the training centers.

Activists also warned that the security arrangement was likely to collapse due to poor living conditions of the forces at the training camps.

The visiting of AU Peace and Security Council team told the trainees at Rajaf that they would work with the government to address some of the challenges facing the training camps.

“We are going to look back at this arrangement and see what assistance can be offered to help with the goals of this project, which is really to help the graduands to finish their program and to be redeployed and to work very closely with the ministry of defense on some of the challenges that they are definitely facing,” said Amb. Jane Njeri Kamau, team leader.

According to the peace deal, unifying the forces will provide security guarantees for the transitional government of national unity, unlike in 2016 when the forces were divided.

The National Transitional Committee often says it has received millions of US dollars.

However, little is known about how the monies were spent after the Kiir administration ignored calls to have NTC held to account for the funding.