UNITY – Residents of Leer County are keenly looking forward to catching a rare glimpse of justice in action in their remote part of the country. With a mobile court scheduled to arrive at some point in May, their wait is almost over, but first local law enforcement personnel must be equipped with the necessary skills to set the judicial proceedings in motion.

“We are preparing investigators in the county so that they know how to collect evidence and compile cases that the incoming court can work with,” said John Malieth, a senior state police investigator who facilitates parts of a just concluded, intensive ten-day training of 20 local police officers.

“Without justice and accountability, we can’t expect to achieve the lasting peace that everyone wants,” he added.

The training is an initiative by the state police, with its organization being supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the Multi-Partner Trust Fund and the Norwegian Embassy in Juba.

“We want police officers to become good at handling the kind of cases that are common here, like sexual and gender-based violence and other conflict-related human rights violations. Their thorough investigations will lay the groundwork for the upcoming mobile court to hear and judge cases,” explains John Bhudha, a Justice Advisor serving with UNMISS.

Trainees were pleased with the sessions they attended.

"We have definitely improved and learnt new skills, and this knowledge will help us do a much better job," said Kuong Baliu Deng, one of the course graduates who feels ready for the arrival of the long-awaited mobile court.