A delegation from South Sudan’s Ministry of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs has paid a five-day working visit to Ghana to study the security architecture of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The delegation also studied the administrative structure of the Veterans Administration of Ghana (VAG).
Led by the Under Secretary for Veterans’ Affairs, Lieutenant General Biar Atem Ajang, the members were the Chairman of the South Sudan Veteran Affairs, Gen. Salva Chol Ayat; the Chairman of the Standing Committee on African Affairs (SCAA), Lt Gen. Panek Biar Chol Ayak, and the Director of Veterans Benefits, Col. Tut Gatwech Garang.
The tour
The delegation, together with the some members of the Veterans Administration of Ghana (VAG), visited the Ministry of Defence last Tuesday to engage with the Deputy Minister of Defence, Kofi Amankwa-Manu, and headed to the Burma Camp to have a closed-door discussion with the Chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Seth Amoama.
They also visited the Ghana Military Academy to familiarise themselves with the place and also interacted with the academy administration.
The delegation was briefed on the history, objectives and operations of the GAF, a breakdown of the military divisions as well as some expansion project and the recruitment process of the force.
Strong partner
The Undersecretary for Veterans’ Affairs of the Ministry of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs in South Sudan, Lt Gen. Biar Atem Ajang, acknowledged Ghana’s expertise in maintaining peace and security.
“We believe learning from Ghana, as a big brother, we can benefit immensely from the experience you’ve gathered over the years as the first sub saharan African nation to break the cycle of colonial rule,” he said.
In South Sudan, which is a newly formed state, he said most of the state institutions were still under construction and were not yet matured “and that is why we are happy for extending this essential opportunity to visit your country and institutions,” Lt Gen. Ajang said.
He assured that South Sudan would continue to learn from Ghana and grow until the country was able to stand on its feet.
Lt Gen. Ajang said the country had experienced one of the longest wars in Africa from 1955 to 1972 and from 1983 to 2002.
He said there was now a peace treaty which was being implemented to ensure that the fight for peace to ensure the safety of its citizenry did not happen in vain.
However, he said the country would need the support of nations who had more experience in conflict resolution such as Ghana, to maintain its current existing peace.
“I hope our business here will strengthen our effort to streamline our institutions in order, taking care of our veterans and wounded heroes, and many to manage their affairs,” Lt Gen. Ajang said.
Maintain peace
The Deputy Minister of Defence commended South Sudan for the effort it had put in to maintain peace since it gained independence in 2011.
Mr Amankwa-Manu recounted that right after the country gained independence, it reached out to Ghana to enhance the cordial relations between the two countries.
That, he said, was a call in the right direction as it had led to many mutual benefits for both countries.
“As I speak, Ghana has battalions in Southern Sudan helping to ensure peace and stability. The one area that I will say that Ghana is so good at is maintaining peace and bringing peace to wherever we are needed,” Mr Amankwa-Manu stated.
Source: GraphicOnline
