Graduated Lakes police personnel paraded during Monday's ceremony|Courtesy

Lakes state government has called on the police force to shun tribalism as it graduated 1,000 police personnel of different ranks after undergoing six months of refresher training in the state.

The initiative is part of an ongoing nationwide effort to empower and professionalize the South Sudan National Police Service.

This comes barely days after authorities in Western Equatoria graduated over 700 police personnel to maintain law and order in the state.

Speaking during the graduation ceremony in Rumbek town yesterday, Lakes State Governor Rin Tueny Mabor warned the police against tribalism, citing their tribe is the uniform.

“There is no tribalism in uniform, your tribe is the uniform, your country is the uniform and your state is this uniform.

“So, I want all of us to work together and rule the country in our different capacities”, he said.

Meanwhile, the State Coordinator of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization in Lakes expressed concern over the government’s failure to take care of the forces.

“Training people without supporting them, without motivating them, not sustaining them is an embarrassment to the country because later, we see them being boda-boda riders and some burning charcoal to make sure that they survive and put food on the table for their families.

According to Daniel Laat, there is no need to train the police without taking care of their well-being.

“It is time now for the Stat to improve their livelihoods and make sure that they are sustained to do their national duties.”