Security sector reform conference in Juba. (Photo: FVP Press Unit/Facebook).

A three-day Security Reform Conference in Juba has adopted documents including the White Paper on Defense and Security, Revised Defense Policy and Security Policy Framework to be tabled in parliament for deliberation and into laws.

The conference was organized by the Strategic Defense and Security Review Board and aims at addressing security challenges and providing policy guidance and strategy for South Sudan’s security reforms enshrined in the 2018 peace deal.

It brought together more than 500 participants including the national ministers of defense and interior, regional and international peace guarantors including the IGAD, UNMISS and African Union among others.

Interior Minister Angelina Teny described the outcome of the conference as a transition to democracy citing that many post-conflict nations who have achieved peace started with security reforms.

Agelina said in order for South Sudan to have free, fair and credible elections, there is a high necessity for security sector reform.

“The backbone of peace and stability in our country is the security sector,” she said during the closing ceremony of the conference.

“We have seen examples of post-conflict countries that developed a white paper on defense and security and have actually succeeded in maintaining peace and security and later went through a peaceful, credible election.”

“This is because if the security environment is not conducive for a free, fair, and credible election, it can become another potential for reverting to conflict.”

Angelina said two of the documents do not require validation and can only be internally discussed by implementing agencies.

“The next step would be all the inputs that we got here, we will go and also harmonize the document again. There were some areas where there was no full consensus. These areas we will take to the principals for their decisions.”

Addrssing the same event, Defense Minister Chol Thon Balok urged the transitional government to fund the Security Defense and Security Review Board in order to carry on its mandate in transforming the security sector.

“I would like to appeal to the R-TGoNU to accelerate the funding process to extend all the necessary support needed to the SDSR board to enable the board to carry out its mandate as stipulated in Chapter 2, Article 2.5 of the Revitalize Agreement.”

“The members were really facing a lot of problems. Although we gave empty promises as national ministers, with the little resources we have, we were able to start giving them fuel, to give them some food items. But unfortunately, our resources got finished.”