Police reacts to Sudans Post investigation on recruitment in Northern Bahr el Ghazal

AWEIL – South Sudan police authorities in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State have denied allegations of recruiting nearly 600 new individuals into the national army and police, calling the reports “baseless.”

This response follows an investigation by Sudans Post that uncovered evidence suggesting the government might be training hundreds of new recruits in Aweil, the state capital.

The recruits were undergoing training at the Mathiang military base near Northern Bahr el Ghazal University in Aweil.

Recruits who spoke to Sudans Post said they were told that they were being trained to guard South Sudan’s first elections slated for end of this year.

However, the state police public relations department issued a statement to Sudans Post clarifying that no new recruitment is taking place.

They stated that the activities observed are part of an ongoing “refresher course training,” which is a standard practice for capacity building within the police force.

The statement emphasized that the army and police are separate institutions with distinct mandates and operational procedures, and that “it is not possible anywhere in the world for the police to recruit civilians and integrate them into the army.”

They further explained that refresher courses are crucial for maintaining the competency and effectiveness of their forces in upholding law and order.

The police statement, however, did not provide an explanation for why a police training course would be conducted inside an army base.