Community Empowerment for Progress Organization or CEPO in collaboration with Network for Civil Society Eastern Equatoria held one-day follow up meeting on media and security dialogue in Torit.
The dialogue is to influence police, army and media actors to the formal and informal security and justice institutions to response to the citizens, Radio Emmanuel reports.
The dialogue is to engage civil society organizations and community in the process of justice and security transformation to ensure access to fairness and safety, says Grace John Kenyi, Governance and Peace Manager for CEPO.
‘As CEPO we are really interested to see that all of us work together to drive that change especially on issues related to public interest because is about people, is our country and is about us so all of us we have that kind of role to play. The civil society, the media, the army the police and so forth including the parliament because the parliament is here to amplify our voice at a parliament level’, she explains.
Ochan Mathew Jacob Torit Police Spokesperson says there is full cooperation between media and security actors that resulted to improved security in the state.
According to Ochan, police are currently holding minor crime cases in Police custody
‘Period of that times until now, the security situation or the coordination of the police with media are going well, I think everyone may be you hear from the radio sometimes we are discussing other issue of concern especially in crime activity from that day until now’.
Brigadier General Cornelius Abele, team leader for Area Joint Military Ceasefire Committee AJMCC and Joint Military Ceasefire Team call on government and humanitarian agencies to ensure security actors have access to mobility.
Having means of transport will help in combating criminal activities in the state, he says.
‘Help us just for mobility to move this area, to deliver the peace process to those who are still looting or making robbery on the road especially in the side of Geria road that one I think we have about that one and the other one of Juba road there are some gangs moving. They are not from SSOA, they are not from IO and they are not from SSPDF those people who are in the middle just they are just rotating in the middle, but we will trace them’, the Brigadier General stresses.
On his part Ejidio Okany Torit State Director of Information applauds CEPO and civil society organizations for bringing together media and security actors for a dialogue.
He believes that the dialogue creates good relationship between security actors and media practitioners.
The director expresses state government’s commitment in spreading the message of peace to people at grassroots.
The officials made the remarks during a one day follow up meeting on media and security actor’s dialogue at Torit Guest House in Torit on Thursday.