Police And Organised Forces To Maintain Peace During Referendum

11 November 2010 – (Juba) – The GOSS Ministry of Internal Affairs says that although it does not have enough manpower to monitor the referendum process, the organized forces will assist to ensure peace and transparent referendum next year.

Speaking to the reporters in the Police Training Center in Rejaf on Thursday the deputy Inspector General of Police Lt. General Gordon Kur said that they want to make a fair and transparent referendum.

[Gordon Kur]: “The number we had planned for was 60,000 to cover the whole referendum. We don’t have this number in the police and probably with these recruits our capacity will be 45,000 police in which 20% of course will engage in the normal police activities so we will have over thirty something engage in the referendum. We will also be assisted by the other organized forces. With those forces we will be able to cover the whole referendum security. We want it to be fair, transparent and people should make their own choices.”

Meanwhile, the leader of the Canadian delegation Mr. Donald Bobiash said that they are providing financial support to enhance communication within the force.

[Donald Bobiash]: “We are providing financial support to help facilitate the training, to construct new buildings and we provided financial support to develop the system of radios so that all the police force in south Sudan would be connected and get in tough with each other very easily. So that is a big step forward for security in south Sudan.”

Security has been one of the concerns as the self-determination referendum for the south nears.