Kidega Livingstone
Reforming the security sector in South Sudan would lay a strong foundation and flatten the sector for stability, UN noted.
UN Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan [UNMISS], Nicholas Haysom made the remark on Friday.
His comment came following the completion of documents on the security sector transformation review as stipulated in the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
The documents that include the strategy review, security assessment, security policy framework, revived different policies, white paper, and security transformation roadmap have been finalized by the members of the security sector review board.
Speaking during the validation workshop on Thursday, Haysom said the completion of the documents will lay a strong foundation and platform for the long-term future of the security sector in South Sudan.
“I want to thank those who participated in the successful documentation of the document for the first time that will establish the South Sudan security sector,” he stated.
“The document is key to the implementation of the peace agreement, and it’s a key to the people of South Sudan in a way that it can enable them to pursue their social, cultural, and economic inspiration for a bright future for South Sudan,” he continued.
The UNMISS boss added that the completion of the document will be a symbol of national unity and a great institution that unites itself.
Haysom emphasized that UNMISS is mandated to support the peace process and implementation of the revitalized peace agreement, which involved advice, technical assistance, and many other forms of assistance until the country reached everlasting peace.
The chairperson of the Strategic Security Review Board, who is the Minister of Interior, Angelina Teny, said the members of the board have been working on the documents for the last four years, and that was the first step in the completion of the documents.
“We called you today [Thursday] to inform you who are concerned that the board has finally concluded the validation of the document required by the agreement, and the document includes the strategy review, security assessment, security policy framework, revived different policies, and white paper on different security and security transformation roadmaps,” she stated.
According to Teny, the document will be delivered to the principals, then to the cabinet, and later to the legislators for final approval.
She noted that a number of stakeholders were consulted and contributed to identifying the challenges that have affected the development of the documents.
“We would like to assure the people of South Sudan of our commitment to the security sector transformation that has finally been done and continues until it’s been approved for the peace process to be fully implemented,” she added.