Renk County is the most stable, safest county in South Sudan – finding

JUBA – Renk County in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State has been ranked as the safest and most stable area in the country a low number of violent crimes, compared to other counties of South Sudan, according to a new finding by the IOM.

The IOM finding highlights that residents regarded Renk as a safe place, with a low number of violent cases reported.

According to the report, it said ninety-five percent of residents of Renk consider their community somewhat or very safe, and 70% consider their security to have improved in the past year.

However, early marriage, forced marriage, and domestic violence are reported to occur at high rates with; key informants reporting up to 75% of girls in Renk will be married before they turn 18 years old, it said.

People generally like the police even though they haven’t directly interacted with them and consider them lacking training, equipment, and personnel, the report said.

“Renk County has high potential to be prosperous as the opening of the borders will contribute to its socio-economic development,” Lt. General James Pui Yak, Deputy Inspector General of Police, said.

Lt. General Pui-Yak highlighted maintaining peace and security as a precondition for prosperous development, calling on the County Commissioner “to ensure the safety and security of development partners, in particular to the NGOs.”

“International and national development partner agencies are here to support us, to contribute to our prosperity; any attack to their operations will negatively affect the South Sudanese communities they serve,” he added.

Beate Müller-Grunewald, Senior Desk Officer of German Government emphasized the importance of strengthening border management capacities.

“It will contribute to cross-border relations with Sudan and increase people-to-people contact which will contribute to a long-lasting sustainable peace in South Sudan.”