“As partners in providing security and safety to the civilian population, we have a collective responsibility to work together amicably and build trust,” said Angelo Lodo Daya, security adviser at the state Governor’s office.

Mr Daya was speaking at an ongoing two-day dialogue for security partners in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria state in Juba, which aims at enhancing confidence, trust and operational coordination between national uniformed personnel and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)

With rising conflict across Central Equatoria, it was a timely event according to Njoki Kinyajui, Head of the UN Peacekeeping mission’s Field Office in the state.

“In past months, we have seen a distinct increase in violence across Central Equatoria, which has led to civilian displacement and fatalities. There is also a proliferation of mis- and disinformation, which has the potential to fuel more tensions. Therefore, this is an extremely important forum, giving us the space to speak candidly with our national and state-level interlocuters about the challenges we face in ensuring a peaceful and secure environment,” stated Ms. Kinyajui.

“There’s no substitute for sitting across a table and having a productive interaction so that we can work with our partners and find pathways to make people’s lives and livelihoods more secure,” she added.

Ms. Kinyajui is optimistic that discussions over the coming two days will create mutual operational understanding about the tripartite agreement between the SSPDF, UNMISS and the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism—the single window through which the Mission interacts with government entities for enabling and facilitating unhindered movement and deployment of its troops across South Sudan. This platform, therefore, is expected to help ameliorate some of the difficulties that patrolling peacekeepers face on the ground.

“Our patrols are vital to our broader efforts to protect civilians,” explained Ms. Kinyajui.

“However, one of the biggest challenges for us right now in Central Equatoria is limited access. While the primary responsibility for protecting civilians lies with the Government of South Sudan, as a UN Peacekeeping mission, we need to be able to reach locations across the state where the potential for violence is high. So, a cooperative approach between the mission and security partners at every level is essential,” she added.