07/01/2026
Civil Disarmament in South Sudan Must Start With Reality, Not Wishful Thinking
By William Tuoy-Giel, EdD
Civil disarmament in South Sudan is often discussed as if it were a straightforward policy choice: collect the guns, restore order, and move on. But anyone familiar with the realities on the ground knows it is not that simple.
In a country where fi****ms are widespread, insecurity is persistent, and armed groups operate across many regions, the question is not whether civilians should be disarmed in principle. The question is how to reduce the dangers created by widespread gun ownership without exposing communities to greater risk.
A successful approach must begin with an uncomfortable truth: people do not surrender weapons when they believe those weapons are their only guarantee of survival.
A legal framework is necessary—but not sufficient
South Sudan urgently needs a clear national and state-level legal framework governing civilian possession of fi****ms. Without law, there is only informal power. But law alone will not solve the problem.
What matters is not only what is written in legislation, but whether it can actually be implemented in towns, villages, and cattle camps where state presence is limited and security threats are immediate.
Any fi****ms law must therefore be matched with realistic enforcement capacity and political commitment at every level of government.
Registration is essential—but trust is the real foundation
A national system for registering and licensing civilian fi****ms is a necessary step toward accountability. A structured system linking local administration—from boma and payam levels through chiefs and counties up to national authorities—could, in theory, create visibility over who holds weapons and why.
But registration systems succeed only when people trust them.
If communities believe registration is a prelude to forced confiscation or political targeting, they will simply avoid it. The result is a parallel system: a small number of registered weapons on paper, and a far larger number in reality.
The challenge is not technical design alone. It is trust.
Buyback programs can work—but only if they are voluntary and credible
Weapons buyback programs are often dismissed as ineffective in fragile contexts. That criticism is not entirely wrong. But it misses their strategic value.
When designed properly, voluntary buyback schemes can provide a peaceful exit pathway for individuals who no longer wish to retain fi****ms, particularly those acquired through legal means in earlier periods of instability.
However, such programs must be transparent, fairly compensated, and strictly voluntary. Coercive or poorly managed buybacks risk deepening mistrust and driving weapons further underground.
The hardest truth: security drives weapon ownership
In many parts of South Sudan, particularly among pastoralist communities, fi****ms are not viewed as optional. They are seen as essential tools for protecting livestock, families, and livelihoods in environments where formal security is weak or inconsistent.
This is the central contradiction any policy must confront: civilians arm themselves because they do not fully trust that the state can protect them.
Until that gap is addressed, disarmament will remain incomplete and potentially unstable.
Conclusion: from disarmament to risk reduction
The goal should not be sudden or total civilian disarmament. That approach is unlikely to succeed and may even increase insecurity in the short term.
Instead, South Sudan needs a phased strategy focused on risk reduction: regulating fi****ms, improving visibility through registration, creating voluntary pathways for reduction, and gradually strengthening the state’s capacity to provide protection.
Ultimately, guns will not disappear from South Sudan through law alone. They will decline only when communities believe they are no longer necessary for survival.
That is the real challenge—and the only sustainable path forward.
The author is an applied researcher, political and social activist, with expertise in educational leadership, governance, peacebuilding, and social justice. His work is dedicated to advancing peace, justice, democratic governance, and national reconciliation in South Sudan. He is actively engaged in promoting dialogue, inclusive leadership, and social cohesion among South Sudanese communities both within the country and across the diaspora.
For correspondence, he can be reached at [email protected].
