15 members of the organized forces are completing a ten-day training exercise on weapons marking.

Weapons’ marking is the process of labeling a weapon with a unique number or barcode for purposes of record keeping.

The officers are being trained by experts from South Africa.

“By marking weapons, the government will be able to keep track of the number and type of weapons in the country,” said UN’s Klem Ryan.

Major General Marshal Stephen, SPLA Director of Supply, said trained officers will take on the problem that South Sudan has with un-registered guns.

One of the trainees, Sergeant Officer Mude Martin Jackson of the National Police said the system will simplify tracking down weapons that are being mishandled:

“The institutions which use arms are the National Security, the police and the Army…

“It will be easy to trace where the weapon comes from…whether it belongs to the army, or the National Security, and how it got in the hands of criminals. Because once weapons are marked they will be kept in the armory, and the store man will be the one to issue.”

The project is funded by the United Nation Mission in South Sudan.

Ten weapons marking machines have been bought and a database has been designed to record and follow up on weapons.

The project also aims to establish an armory for the safe storage of small arms.