S. Sudan president warns officers who 'seek power for personal gains'

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir has warned security service officials against abusing their power and office, reminding them that the sector is a service institution subordinate to a civilian administration.

Kiir was speaking at the swearing-in service of the new Inspector General of Police, Majak Akec Malok, whom he described as disciplined and consistent, traits needed to be trustworthy and appointed to the top post.

President Salva Kiir, according to a presidential aide, said too many people are joining the security sector as a means to amass power for personal gains.

“If you noticed, everyone wants to be a general because they are seeing it a way to get into power. This concept must be changed. Army as a service institution, like other institutions,” said president Kiir.

Kiir told the officers that discipline and consistency were the foundation for a professional army.

The South Sudan Police was founded after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 within the government efforts to transform the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) fighters into a professional army and institutionalised police.

So, like the army, the new police recruits are the result of the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programmes but many analysts say that unlike the SPLA, the police sector was neglected with insufficient preparation and training for the criminal investigation or administrative police.

The police force therefore operated with a guerilla mentality for so many years, resulting in distrust between the police and local communities, breeding political ambitions and corruption.