The security sector reform validation conference held in Juba on Thursday, brought together various key stakeholders, who offered talking points for revamping security in the country

 By Chuol Chanyong and Opio Jackson

The First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar has called for reforms in the security sector in South Sudan.

 Dr. Machar made the statement during the security sector reform validation conference held in Juba yesterday.

“This conference is important for all, whether to the citizens or the decision-makers, and it will help a lot in bringing about a transformation in the security sector, especially in unifying the regular forces. We still have large forces that have not yet been unified,” he said.

He continued that security arrangements are the essence of the peace agreement and that they had been waiting for this day to come when the Strategic Defense and Security Review Board presents its work at such a conference.

“Because this is the last public consultation before the Council of Ministers and Parliament approve them. Once the Council of Ministers and the Transitional National Legislative Assembly approve these documents, the second phase of the security arrangements process will begin,” Dr Riek asserted. 

Also, he said the outcomes of the conference would influence the seriousness of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process. 

“We hope that by that time the legislation on disarming civilians will have been approved by the parliament so that they can be disarmed. So, I assure you that we are close to completing these procedures.”

Under the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement for the Settlement of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, Chapter II – Article 2.5, the Strategic Defense and Security Review Board is responsible for formulating and implementing key security sector policies, namely the Strategic Security Assessment,  Security Policy framework, Revised Defense Policy, Security Sector Transformation- Roadmap as well as the  White Paper on Defense and Security.

The conference aims to address the challenges of the security sector and provide political and strategic guidance for the reforms and restructuring that will lead to the transformation of the security sector in South Sudan.

AU’s call for unification of forces in South Sudan

Meanwhile, the African Union has called for the full deployment of the 53,000 graduated Necessary Unified Forces in the first phase.

Speaking at the same forum, Prof. Joram Mukama Biswaro, the Head of the African Union Liaison Office in South Sudan (AULOSS) said the remaining 30,000 forces must also be trained to complete the unification process for secure and credible future elections.

“I understand a big number of people are in the training or cantonment sites. If they are there don’t frustrate these people. They are human beings, they have aspirations,” he said.

“Something have to be taken. There is no reason to continue training these people there.”

He said transformation is always related to a change in behaviours.

“A transformative security sector must as a result embrace all these good democratic governance principles that exclude the unconstitutional change of government,” he lamented.

Referring to the United Nations accord, he said security is defined as freedom from fear and threats.

Prof. Mukama said for South Sudan to be secure must have the symbolism of these attributes, “no doubt being part of the UN family we subscribed to this definition.”

“The reason we want security is that we need to ensure that South Sudan’s turbulent past becomes history and going forward, all South Sudanese must live peaceful, united, and prosperous lives.”

“Indeed, the days of liberation struggle and the civil war are over. And no longer should we send the country back to those days,” Prof. Mukama said.

The AU envoy continued that the people of South Sudan deserve better lives and therefore, called on the leaders to prevent the relapse into violence and the war.

“If there is anything, we should afford dialogue.”

He further said that the AU security sector frame and that of the United Nations provide principles and the best practices for effective and efficient security sector reforms and security sector transformation.

He pledged the AU’s continued commitment to achieving a secure South Sudan.

“Let me assure you that AU will continue to contribute to this effect whenever needs arise,” Prof. Mukama reiterated.

Peace monitor, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), decried, in its latest report, the slow process in the unification of forces.

While sharing a brief to the National Parliament last month, RJMEC interim chairperson, Maj. Gen. Gituai, stated that there has been very little progress on the unification of forces since the commission released its last report mid this year, pointing to the pending tasks in the political process responsible for the conclusion of the unification of the second command echelon.

Meanwhile, as the process slugs, the country has experienced incidences of violence and attacks, which, sources and experts have argued, could have been addressed or attended to by deployment of the already trained forces to the conflicted areas.

Ceasefire monitoring body, CTSAMVM, revealed incidents of intercommunal violence in Unity, Jonglei, and Lakes States, which were compounded by some security-related incidents in Juba; as well as sporadic clashes between the SSPDF and the National Salvation Front (NAS) in some parts of Central Equatoria State.

To attain lasting peace and security in South Sudan, Peter Lo Mude, the Head of Political Affairs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDM), in a past interview with The City Review, called for inclusivity in the Tumaini Inititiative.

“The current people who are participating don’t represent the whole group of the hold-out group because the group that is participating is partial to the hold-out. Part of the hold-out group is not currently participating in the Tumaini,” he said, adding that the neglected group from these talks were largely contributing to the insecurity in South Sudan and their inclusion would save the country further peace talks.