Anyone who does not feel comfortable staying in overcrowded living quarters would be well advised to avoid ending up behind bars in South Sudan. The Wau Central Prison, designed to accommodate 250 people, currently holds 900 women, men and juvenile lawbreakers.

In a bid to decongest the facility, reducing the risk of health issues like skin diseases and tuberculosis in the process, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has funded and recently handed over a new two-ward building, capable of hosting 80 detainees to local authorities in Thuro-Majok in Jur River County.

“Contributing to prisons upholding minimum standards and offenders being treated with dignity is essential as it will better prepare inmates to reintegrate into society once they have served their sentences,” said Major Atong Ajak, Director of the Thuro-Majok facility, adding that partners providing inmates with necessary healthcare is also part of raising the standard of living of people being confined to cells.

Norbert Niyodusenga, Acting Head of the peacekeeping mission’s Field Office in Wau, stressed yet another key component when it comes to rehabilitating detainees.

“We want to reduce incidents of food insecurity as well, for example by giving convicts possibilities to farm fruits, vegetables and other crops,” he said, while also pointing out that such initiatives also give prisoners valuable skills with the potential of generating incomes.

On her part, Sara Cleto Rial, Governor of Western Bahr El Ghazal State, highlighted the collaborative nature of the process that made the construction of the new structure possible.

“Everyone has played a part in making this happen, starting with the community generously offering the land needed for the project. By working together, we can foster peace, security and development,” she noted.

The funding of the Thuro-Majok prison is part of the peacekeeping mission’s Quick Impact Project programme, with the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization being the partner constructing the buildings.