First Vice President Dr Riek Machar has expressed a commitment of the transitional government to fight sexual violence and all other forms of abuses by the security sector.

Women in South Sudan have suffered unprecedented levels of sexual violence inform of rape, abduction and forced marriages in the past two years of the country’s conflict, according to UN reports.

Dr Riek Machar made the pledge on Sunday during a meeting with United Nations Special envoy on sexual violence, Zainab Bangura, during her recent visit to Juba.

“We hope we will develop a manual a training manual for the forces and for the other security sector so that we really combat sexual violence in the armed forces and also in the other security sectors,” Dr Machar said.

The FVP told Ms Bangura that the government looks forward to cooperation and support from the United Nations in terms of personnel to help developing the manual and also in the training of the forces.

The UN Special envoy said the meeting with Dr Machar was crucial because she came to follow-up on the promises he made 2 years ago:

“I came first of all to congratulate him and to recognize the work he has done with us the last two years in making sure there is accountability, there is justice and to be able to continue to work on the issue of sexual violence since his return to Juba.”

Ms Bangura told Dr Machar that the mechanisms he spoke about should be put in place to ensure cases of rape, kidnap and other forms of abuse do not occur.