South Sudan’s Army Says It’s Time to Rebuild Trust

UNMISS

“If we want to truly transform and rebuild this country and a national army, we must listen to the voices of our civilians so we can restore public trust and confidence,” said Capt. Joseph James Mangar, head of the Department of Training and Advocacy on Military Justice of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces at a January 2023 training session in Juba.

His statement set the tone for a workshop organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Its aim was to create awareness, impart skills and knowledge on human rights, and help the army build productive relations.

The workshop, organized and funded by the peacekeeping mission’s Human Rights Division, brought together 35 commissioned and noncommissioned officers of the government army, 20 of whom were women.

Bessong Ndip, a human rights officer working for UNMISS, said the military can’t do its job without public support.

“Any failure on the armed forces to consistently uphold human rights when protecting civilians can undermine the trust needed for cooperation between uniformed personnel and citizens,” he said. 

“The army, and the police, play a key role in safeguarding civilian lives, not least when it comes to preventing sexual and other kinds of gender-based violence, which cause horrible insecurity for women and girls, especially when they see that perpetrators are not held accountable.”

Mangar pointed out the need to avoid tribalism and divisive politics to achieve a sense of unity.

Participants not only were educated on human rights, but also on the UNMISS mandate: protecting civilians; creating a conducive environment for humanitarian access; monitoring, investigating, and reporting on human rights violations; and supporting the implementation of the peace accord.

First Lt. Aluel Bol Deng from the Female Affairs Division of the armed forces enjoyed the training opportunity and pledged to share her new knowledge with colleagues.

“I am going to work hard to bridge the trust gaps that exist between the military and civilians so that we understand each other when we need each other’s support,” she said.