Peace minister calls for stronger citizen–security collaboration

JUBA – South Sudan’s Ministry of Peace Building has launched a two-day engagement platform bringing together citizens and security actors to address the growing mistrust between communities and security institutions in South Sudan.

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Peace Building, Pia Philip Michael, confirmed to the media at the sidelines of the opening of the two-day workshop on Thursday that the initiative aims to promote coexistence, collaboration, and community policing as a pathway to restoring public confidence and improving security across the country.

“What we have seen in South Sudan is that there has been some challenge in terms of the perception of local citizens on the street towards the security institutions. The workshop is aimed at bridging the gap between the citizens and the security sector,” said Michael.

He stated that there is an element of fear between citizens and those in uniform, which is what they want to bridge. “We want to see the people, the community, and men and women in uniform as friends, not as enemies,” he said.

Michael added that the government is ready to implement the peace agreement in letter and spirit ahead of the 2026 general elections, emphasizing that achieving peace is a collective responsibility of South Sudanese.

“We want the security sector and the citizens to coexist together and collaborate. There is what we call community policing; the community should be happy to do the policing and work hand in hand with the security sector,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Ayuen Dot Thon, the Director for Policy and Planning in the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, stated that the partnership between citizens and security actors is crucial for achieving durable peace.

“Actually, the security actors do not emerge from the blue; they were citizens before they were enlisted into the army, police, or intelligence, and from there they will retire and return to the community,” said Thon.

He noted that their duties have been stipulated and spelled out clearly in the Constitution. “In our case, we have our own mandate, we have the white paper, we have our rules and regulations. So we abide by the law,” he said.