Prosecutors and police investigators across Bahr el-Ghazal are undergoing a two-day training in the state capital Wau on addressing electoral offenses.
The training, bringing together 65 participants, is being conducted by the national ministries of Justice and Interior. It aims at providing skills to tackle crimes related to the elections in 2026.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj during the opening of the training on Wednesday, the head of election security committee, Lt Gen Abraham Peter Manyuat, said the training aimed at providing skills in addressing any future challenges to conducting free, fair and credible elections.
“This workshop is very important because it is holistic and brings together the judges and the police and within the police, there are investigators and the women who deal with gender violence because during the elections, there are crimes related to violence against women,” said Manyuat.
“We are training these police investigators so that they can identify the violence which may occur during, before or after the elections. We are bringing these staff together and for them to be given skills to work together and to know what type of crimes they will face during the elections, and the response to put in place,” he said.
Manyuat pointed out that the citizens needed to be sensitized on the elections laws, especially their right to vote.
The police boss said the security needed to ensure the upcoming elections are peaceful, free, fair and satisfactory to all the political parties.
“The most important thing is that the elections must be peaceful, free, fair and acceptable to all the political parties. The elements of security who are part of this have to know their roles. We have enough time and there is no excuse not to prepare ourselves,” he added.
Manyuat said the national police would be responsible for taking care of the election equipment, including the ballot papers and boxes.
He urged the training participants to take notes, reflect on what they have learnt, and apply it during the coming elections.
The National Director of Public Prosecution in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Deng Achuil Adija, recounted the ministry conducting several similar trainings.
“We conducted this workshop in Juba this November and we conducted the same in Greater Upper Nile, East, Central and Western Equatoria and the two administrative areas of Ruweng and Pibor,” said Adija.
The state UNMISS Field Coordinator, Sam Muhamure, outlined that the workshop was organized by the Ministry of Justice, Constitutional Affairs and the National Police Service, working with the electoral team across Bahr el-Ghazal in Lakes, Warrap, Northern and Western Bahr el- Ghazal.
“This workshop has been organized by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the National Police Service, working with the integrated electoral assistance team composed of UNMISS and UNDP,” said Muhamure.
“The workshop is to provide additional skills and training and the capacity to the investigators and prosecutors as they prepare for supporting the election process,” he said.
“As you know, the prosecutors and investigators are very important officers in preventing elections related offenses and violence. They play a role in preventing, investigating and responding to any aspect of unlawfulness during, before and after elections. It is very important that the communities gain confidence in the whole elections engineering,” he said.