News

10/04/2008

Community security and arms control in Southern Sudan

In March, Saferworld organised a meeting for civil society leaders from across Southern Sudan and the transitional areas to discuss community security and arms controls.

Held in Juba, the meeting was unique in bringing together civil society with government officials and was opened by the Vice President of Southern Sudan, Dr Riek Machar Teny.

Attended by representatives from youth and women’s groups, churches, peace activists and the media, the meeting provided the opportunity for these groups to voice their concerns about security and small arms in their local areas. It also gave the Government a chance to introduce the newly-formed Community Security and Arms Control (CSAC) Bureau, whose mandate focuses on co-ordinating civilian disarmament. Establishing the CSAC Bureau was recommended by a policy workshop facilitated by Saferworld last year.

The civil society participants presented a communiqué to the Government at the end of the 3 day workshop documenting their concerns and with recommendations about how to tackle the issues.

Although welcoming the creation of the CSAC Bureau and its strategies for peaceful disarmament, the Communiqué raises concerns about the way in which disarmament has previously been implemented in some areas. It calls for a transparent, co-ordinated approach with the Government working in partnership with civil society to improve security for people throughout Southern Sudan. It also highlights the importance of an active role for civil society in decision-making processes on security issues and suggests mechanisms to be established for this purpose.

The Director of the CSAC Bureau, Dr Riak Gok Majok, said that the Government of Southern Sudan would develop its policy on the basis of recommendations from a workshop they held last year and emphasised a peaceful approach to disarmament which would prioritise the development of arms control legislation.

From the meeting, a civil society task force was formed to examine how Southern Sudanese civil society can increase co-ordination and be better represented in decision-making processes. Saferworld will be supporting this task force and will organise a follow-up meeting in 6 months time to review its findings.

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