UN, S. Sudan police to strenghten civilian protection

July 23, 2014 (JUBA) – The new mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) will enable its police and members of South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) address fundamental issues like human rights and protection of civilians, a senior UN Police official said.

“The public in South Sudan is demanding for their rights to be respected,” UN police commissioner Fred Yiga reportedly told a workshop held in Juba.

“So we are going to make sure that we defend the public in terms of getting the respect that they need from the police,” he added.

In May, the UN Security Council (UNSC) extended UNMISS’s mandate until November and revised its roles to give priority to the task of protecting civilians and to address the security, humanitarian and political crisis in the country.

Commissioner Yiga also dismissed as untrue reports that the UN police has allegedly fallen out with their South Sudan counterparts, and encouraged his force to work with local police on good policing methods and ensure human rights aspects were observed.

The workshop, organised for UN Police state advisors, sought to raise their awareness of the new mandate and the mission’s strategic priorities and devise mechanisms that could improve their work.

Speaking at the same workshop, South Sudan’s inspector general of police, Gen. Pieng Deng Koul, advised UN Police to maintain cordial relations with police commissioners in all of the country’s 10 states.

“If the current mandate goes up to November, as am told, then we are likely to go back to our usual business of capacity building thereafter. So I urge you to maintain the good relations with our commissioners,” he was quoted as saying.

(ST)