31 October 2014 - Building confidence in the South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) would help create an environment that would allow internally displaced people (IDPs) to return to their homes, a senior UNMISS official said in Juba today.

“To succeed in protecting civilians you must uphold the rule of law,” said the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) Raisedon Zenenga. “You must rise above ethnic divisions.”

Mr. Zenenga was speaking the closing of a six-week pilot training for SSNPS officers which aimed to equip them with skills and knowledge that would boost the public’s confidence and trust in their policing role.

Some 38 officers made up the first group that participated in the training, which focused on topics like protection of civilians, human rights, international humanitarian law, gender conventions and community policing.

“Investigations carried out by various human right bodies have revealed that some individual SSNPS officers and units were involved in serious human rights violations during the crisis,” he said.

The DSRSG called on the trainees to be prepared to repair the destroyed reputation of the police service.
SSNPS Inspector General Pieng Deng Kuol noted that the crisis was an opportunity for the country’s police force to develop and reform itself to the expectation of the people.

“Some of our population lost trust in the government and decided to seek refuge in protection of civilians in UN compounds,” said. “They went there because they lost confidence and trust from the protector, which is the police.”

Gen. Kuol added that the IDPs’ prolonged stay in the protection sites was widening the gap for reconciliation.

“The trust of IDPs is vital for reconciliation with the government, with their neighbors and with some ethnic members,” he said.

Humanitarian support was another necessary condition for IDPs to rebuild their lives upon return to their neighborhoods, the SSNPS Chief added.