WARRAP - People in Tonj South still remember what previous disarmament operations felt like. Such as in 2021 when, during a similar initiative in neighboring Tonj East, violent conflict erupted between military and civilians, resulting in hundreds of people losing their lives.

With that relatively fresh nightmare in mind, the tension was palpable when some 50 community leaders, women, chiefs, youth representatives, and soldiers met to prepare themselves and others for a new campaign to confiscate arms from civilians. More specifically, they pondered how best to protect children during that critical, yet to be confirmed, time. 

Discussions were off to a bad start when different groups hinted that others were to blame for the fatalities four years ago, but a firm comment by Tonj-based Chief Madut Makuei made accusations make way for a quest for cooperation to avoid a repeat.

“Let's acknowledge that we all have children at home. That means that the responsibility to keep them safe lies with every household, with each one of us,” he noted.

With calm restored, Mundrua Jeromei, a Child Protection Officer serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), seized the moment to remind military personnel and civilians alike about often overlooked occurrences that put girls and boys at risk. 

“Children gathering information on behalf of someone, kids hanging out and maybe looking for food around military sites, lessons at school being disrupted by gunfire. These situations are so common that we almost see them as normal, but the reality is that they all expose girls and boys to danger,” she said. 

Initially skeptical at civilians getting involved in anything having to do with disarmament, several uniformed officers soon admitted that inputs from everyone affected would increase the likelihood of a controversial disarmament process remaining peaceful. 

“We deploy to restore peace, not to cause more conflicts and tension,” commented one of them, Captain Bol Ayom, who is set to be part of the operation.

“We also do what we can to keep children away from our barracks, because military areas are not good places for them,” he added. 

During the child protection discussions, organized by the UN peacekeeping mission, there was also sympathy for Captain Ayom and his army colleagues, who often work under challenging circumstances with limited resources.

“If and when soldiers are deployed without sufficient logistical support, there will be tensions instead of calm cooperation with civilians,” said women’s representative Abuk Anei, noting that “they (the military) are also humans.” 

By the end of the day and to keep communication lines between all parties open, attendees appointed community focal points, tasked with immediately flagging any concerns that may arise. 

SSPDF Lieutenant Wek Garang concluded:

“Talking like this prevents misunderstandings and makes everyone understand that all of us must work together, whether we wear uniforms or not,” concluded Lieutenant Wek Garang.