30 October 2012 - The South Sudanese military was now a professional army and must instill international human rights into its behaviour and operations, an area commander said today in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal.

Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) Commander Brig. Gen. Malual Mony Luak Rou was speaking at the opening of a two-day training for SPLA officers in Wunyik, Aweil East County.

Some35 officers from 21 units within the SPLA, including military intelligence, military police, artillery, defense operation center, Joint Border Verification Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM) and air defense, attended the training.

"The SPLA officers tackled topics such as arbitrary arrest and detention, use of force, political freedoms, and accountability," said UNMISS Human Rights section team leader Shilla Kim.

"They addressed and self-reflected on challenges to their customary practices and by the end of the training exercise they were identifying sensitive issues of military-related human rights violations," Ms. Kim said.

The UNMISS Civil Affairs section spoke to the officers about the value of civilian and military relations. UNMISS Military Liaison Officers led a discussion on the roles and duties of military personnel beyond conflict situations.

The UNMISS Judicial Affairs Section and Child Protection Unit also participated.

Closing the training, Brig. Rou, who represented Commander Maj. Gen. Santino Deng Wol, asked UNMISS to conduct similar trainings for the SPLA in the state's other four counties.