| 
Some 550 former soldiers of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army transferring to the prison service now have a place to learn their trade.
Lologo Regional Training Center near Juba opened on 13 September, just as Southern Sudan Prison Service’s (SSPS) three-month training programme for ex-combatants was launched. Estimates indicate the Prison Service will receive up to 1,500 former combatants over the next six months.
|
The training center will also be used for Prison Service specialist courses, including training of trainers, welfare officers, medical officers and management training. On 17 September, UNMIS Rule of Law Corrections unit in collaboration with the Human Rights, Gender, and Protection sections, began a four-week training session on international rules for treating prisoners and managing juveniles.
Representatives of UNMIS, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF and the SSPS met on 26 September to address management of vulnerable and mentally ill prisoners. According to available statistics, Southern Sudan’s prisons hold 31 condemned, 26 women and 27 juvenile inmates, along with 35 men and six women considered mentally ill.
During the opening, SSPS Director General Major General Agasio Akol Tong thanked the international community for strengthening the Prison Service’s, stating it would focus on better and more efficient service. UNDP Head of Office Jafet Enriquez highlighted his agency’s support in building effective and accountable governance and rule of law, announcing the construction of a second prison center in Southern Sudan at Rumbek, Lakes State. |
About UNMIS