The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, on Wednesday launched a two-day training for police investigators and prosecutors to equip them with skills in handling electoral offenses.
The training brought together investigators and prosecutors from the Greater Equatoria and Upper Nile regions. A similar training will be held in Wau for the Bhar El Gazal region in November.
Speaking during the opening of the workshop at Pyramid Continental Hotel in Juba, Christian Fossen, the UNMISS Police Commissioner, said the training will offer skills and build the capacity of the police to prevent electoral crimes.
“As UNMISS, our mandate includes the provision of technical assistance and advice to the government and other relevant stakeholders on the actions and related process to ensure that conditions for a democratic, free, and fair electoral process exist,” she stated. “Therefore, this workshop will seek to build the capacity of not only prosecutors, but also the National Police Service (NPS) investigators in responding to electoral offenses, and this is a step in the right direction. This initiative is commendable.”
The UNMISS police officer said the recent postponement of the elections to 2026 allows the government to work in collaboration with stakeholders to strengthen institutions related to the rule of law. She further reiterated UNMISS’s support towards improving the rule of law in South Sudan especially within the police force.
“It is my honest hope and desire that by the end of the workshop, you will return to your workstations with effectiveness and efficiency in policing and prosecution alike,” Fossen said. “And as I said, from my side, we will continue to support the National Police Service.”
For his part, Dr. Isaac Awow, the Undersecretary at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, said the role of his ministry is to ensure that the elections are conducted in a safe environment.
“We want to make sure that the election is conducted in a fair environment and this depends on our cooperation and coordination with our partners,” he asserted. “The partners I want to say are the police and the judiciary, as prosecutors, our role is to stop electoral offenses because we are the first to take care of the offenses that are committed. Secondly, among us, we are the observers of the elections.”