Tonj Police Intensify Security Training Ahead of December Elections

By Wek Atak

Approximately 1,000 police personnel are undergoing intensive security training in Tonj town as law enforcement agencies step up preparations for South Sudan’s general elections scheduled for December 2026.

Tonj South County Police Inspector Brigadier Bol Kucmuol said the trained personnel will be expected to secure polling centres, protect voters and respond professionally to security during electoral process.

“The presence and effective deployment of police in Tonj is essential for protecting civilians, maintaining law and order, preventing crime, and creating a safe environment for communities to live and work. South Sudan’s Constitution assigns the Police Service the responsibility to prevent and investigate crime, maintain public order, and protect people and their property. This responsibility is particularly important in Greater Tonj, where communities have faced insecurity, cattle-related violence, revenge attacks, and other threats”.

UNMISS has previously emphasized the need for stronger security services in Tonj to protect civilians and prevent further violence.

Police protection should be professional, impartial, and community-oriented. Police officers should work closely with traditional leaders, women, youth, and community members to identify threats, prevent crime, report unlawful activities, and build trust. Experience in Greater Tonj has shown that cooperation between police and communities can strengthen security and reduce violence.

Therefore, strengthening police presence, training, equipment, rapid response capacity, and community policing in Tonj is not only a security priority but also an important step toward peace, stability, protection of lives and property, and peaceful coexistence among communities.

The capacity-building exercise focuses on strengthening tactical discipline, professional ethics, public order management, and civilian protection protocols across the South Sudan National Police Service during the electoral period.

Organizers noted that parallel training sessions are also underway across various payams in Tonj South County, Warrap State, extending election security readiness into local rural communities.

Supervised by the Ministry of Interior, headed by Minister Aleu Ayieny Aleu, and the national police leadership, the program aims to establish operational readiness across all administrative levels ahead of polling.