South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has urged his forces to welcome the former rebel groups into the national army ranks.
The call comes just days after the president declared a blanket amnesty for armed groups who have been fighting the army.
He said the national army should prepare for the integration of the former rebels, who are poised to join them to form a united force.
He said that once the army is properly oriented and trained to serve the country, there would be no other civil war.
The world’s youngest nation has been dogged by conflict since December 2013, having just attained independence from Sudan in 2011.
The war was sparked by a feud between President Salva Kiir and his then-deputy Riek Machar. Kiir accused the latter of plotting a coup against his rule, allegations that he refuted but went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions others, prompting the United Nations to rank South Sudan as Africa’s biggest refugee crisis.
A peace agreement was however signed last month, with a deal struck to form a unity government, with Machar taking up the first vice president position.
Negotiators from all factions are still in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, working on implementation modalities of peace deal before the new government takes effect.
