PKSOI Lessons Learned Report January 2019 | Page 16

reduce crimes involving firearms, such as armed robbery and random shootings.
Likewise, in Kuajok, after a series of meetings that brought together community
action groups, partners and local authorities, government representatives initiated
state-level legislation to regulate the possession and use of SALW by civilians.
4) Mitigating dangers posed by SALW in communities through Tailored Training:
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Saferworld conducted tailored training sessions (tailored to the specific community/
context) that focused on the risks of civilians possessing automatic firearms.
As an outcome of this training, leaders in one community/cattle camp initiated a
practice of collecting all firearms to keep them in one place – an arms storage site
guarded by selected individuals on a regular basis. This practice had a positive
impact in reducing the number of shootouts – which previously had been quite
common in the cattle camp and which often had resulted in injuries and killings.
Outside of these local actions/best practices, community action groups recommended
that larger efforts be undertaken to lobby the national government to demand increased
security at South Sudan’s porous borders in the interest of preventing the smuggling of
SALW from neighboring countries. Also, noting that members of government security forces
had been selling guns and ammunition to civilians, another recommendation was for the
proper storage of arms and ammunition, controlled dispatch and inventory management,
and proper registration/tagging/marking of weapons assigned to security forces. Finally,
community action groups recommended that a comprehensive, well-coordinated, and
nationwide voluntary disarmament program be embarked upon.
Recommendations:
1. In contexts where the proliferation and misuse of SALW has been a pervasive problem,
consider resourcing projects aimed at building local/community capacity (inclusive of local
authorities, women, men, youth, and CSOs) to help effect change. Consider incorporation
of the best practices discussed above: information/awareness campaigns; inclusive
capacity-building & follow-up activities; intra- and inter-communal peace dialogues for
purposes of resolution and influence; and, training tailored to specific communities/context.
2. If national-level disarmament programs are initiated, ensure that lower/community-level
stakeholders are fully informed and included, and that steps are taken to synchronize local/
community disarmament actions with the overarching national-level program.
Source:
This lesson is based on the following report: “Communities Tackling Small Arms and
Light Weapons in South Sudan: Lessons Learnt and Best Practices,” Saferworld,
July 2018.
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