Policing under the tree: fostering justice and strengthening resilience in Likuongole

Greater Pibor Administrative Area – In Likuongole justice doesn’t begin in a police station.

It begins under a big tamarind tree.

When violence broke out between rival youth groups in this remote county of Greater Pibor Adminstrative area, local police officers had no office to lead their investigation from and no secure facility in which to detain suspects.

Because of a severe lack of public infrastructure, officers are forced to work from a desk and couple of chairs under a tree as the sweltering sun beats down on them.

The clashes, triggered by a disputed marriage left eight young men dead and four others injured. One of those killed was a man who had eloped with a young woman already engaged for marriage, an act that ignited anger, mobilization and deadly retaliation.

But the violence exposes a deeper problem. The fragility of the law enforcement in Likuongole.

“There is a small problem of generational fighting,” explains County Commissioner, Samuel Ngaricho. “But the bigger problem is that our people are suffering from a lack of food and basic services, which can fuel crime.”

Even when police do manage to capture alleged perpetrators, they have no cells in which to hold them. For now, they use a dilapidated building that was previously the County Commissioner’s office.

“My office was damaged when the roof blew off during a storm. So, I used the roofing iron to create a temporary structure for myself, while turning the old building into a prison. But it’s not safe,” he said.

The Commissioner is appealing to the Government for support to construct a secure prison, warning that weak detention undermines accountability, justice and risks further instability.

In response to the violence that erupted, peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan have increased their patrols to the area, providing reassurance, deterring further attacks, and supporting local authorities as tensions remain high.

Their patrols are a visible reminder to the community that they are not alone.

Importantly, UNMISS also plans to construct a new police post as a Quick Impact Project, which will help transform the delivery of justice, offering shelter, secure detention facilities, and the foundation for proper investigations. For the community, it will strengthen the justice chain from arrest to accountability.

“If we have a proper prison and police post, people will respect the law,” says Likungole Inspector of Police, Colonel Isaac Choll Gilimo. “Without it, it is very difficult.”

UNMISS Civil Affairs Officer, Anne Nduti Muriithi, emphasizes that the primary responsibility for protecting civilians rests with Government authorities.

“We are your partners in peace, but it is your commitment to justice and human rights that will build a secure and lasting future for all.”

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By Mach Samuel