South Sudan is boosting its fight against poaching with the graduation of 100 new wildlife rangers in one of its largest states, Jonglei.
The rangers completed a specialised training programme in the state capital, Bor, supported by the conservation group African Parks. Officials described the move as a historic step for protecting the region’s ecologically significant wildlife.
Jonglei’s Governor, Dr. Riek Gai Kok, addressed the new rangers, urging local communities to end poaching and view conservation as a “national obligation.”
“You come from this region… you know all the corners, all the priorities, all the context of this state,” Governor Kok said. “You are going to protect the wildlife.”
He acknowledged that the region had long been excluded from conservation efforts but said that was now changing.
The national Minister of Wildlife, Tourism and Conservation, Denay Jock Chagor, issued a stern warning to poachers.
“To our citizens, today marks a new beginning in law enforcement,” Minister Chagor said. “If you’re a hunter… know that the law is now in effect. If you have a gun, there will be a ranger with a gun in front of you. I mean it. The law must be enforced.”
New technology to combat poaching
The Wildlife Service’s National Director, Gen. Khamis Adiang, announced that new technology would be deployed to support the rangers’ work.
“Our rangers have now been trained, and from what I’ve seen, they’re doing great — for the first time in a long time,” Gen. Adiang said, adding that the service would soon use operational drones to improve surveillance.
A representative from African Parks, Florington Aseervatham, reminded the graduates of their responsibilities, emphasising “discipline, leadership, and respect for human rights.”
However, some activists sounded a note of caution.
Dieng Ring Adol of the Center for Peace and Advocacy welcomed the rangers’ graduation but said training alone was not enough to tackle the threat from well-armed poaching groups.
“The government should disarm the poachers with immediate effect,” Adol said. “This will allow the newly graduated officers to carry out their duties effectively.”
Jonglei state forms a critical part of the Sudd, a massive mosaic of wetlands and savannahs sustained by the White Nile. This immense landscape provides a refuge for iconic African species, including significant populations of elephants, shoebill storks, antelopes like the tiang and reedbuck, and vulnerable Nile lechwe.
The area is also a key part of the annual migration of hundreds of thousands of white-eared kob, antelope and other grazing animals, a spectacle that rivals the more famous Serengeti migration but has been largely obscured by the country’s turbulent history.