A unified South Sudanese army, which would include former rebel groups, remains a pipe dream. In 2018, the peace agreement signed between President Salva Kiir and his rival Riek Machar called for the unification of the various rebel militias with the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF, the regular South Sudanese army), even before the formation of a national unity government. Three years after the signing of this pact, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement - In Opposition (SPLA-IO [RM]),