Gen Akol Koor Kuc (first from left) former head of the South Sudan National Security Services (NSS)i a previous meeting with president Salva Kiir and his security adviser Tut Kew (File Image)
By Deng Duot D’Ajur
Establishing roles and agency representations
My view on South Sudan’s Security and Intelligence institutional matters in this digital age. It can be argued that intelligence operations need specific objectives in dealing with serious national issues. The nation’s institutions for security need to address intelligence in principle.
There should be a major shift in government strategy in dealing with enemies of the state, whether internationally or domestically. Officially the national intelligence organisations, such as Internal and External Services, must have special policies that are designed to withstand the heaviest intelligence situation whether covert or overt operations.
I know and do acknowledge that a former director of the Internal Security Bureau (ISB). The former South Sudan’s domestic spy chief has made internal security extremely powerful in the last 13 years since entering the realm of domestic affairs. Policymakers in the governing political party, foreign affairs, ranks and files of military institutions base their prime judgement on intelligence analysis and its outcomes. Thereupon, on behalf of any government, the police force enforced the law to maintain law and order. In principle, the police force is the only viable agency that can provide a meaningful decision for organisations or government institution actors in addressing national security challenges.
The South Sudan National Security institutions require interagency cooperation from the Central Investigation Department (C.I.D) within South Sudan National Police Service (S.S.N.P.S), Internal security Bureau and general Intelligence Bureau of National Security Service (NSS), Military Intelligence (M.I) and custom police. Each agency plays a significant role in protecting national integrity and interests.
The C.I.D, M.I and national security have signals (SIGHT) and human (HUMINT) intelligence gathering capabilities that provide credible and reliable information by intercepting messages between relevant actors and gathering intelligence outside of South Sudan for potential links to domestic criminal activities and external aggression. The ISB department of financial intelligence plays a pivotal role because it is responsible for monitoring financial transactions to identify money laundering, organized crime, tax evasion, fraud of public funds and terrorism finance including unknown gunman.
The South Sudan custom force can assist in the detection of the illicit movement of prohibited goods and people at our borders. The custom force employs HUMINT intelligence collection through interviewing persons arriving in South Sudan and can provide search and seizure activities on goods arriving. Military intelligence is responsible for analysing all sorts of relevant intelligence information, planning military operations that can stop any aggression of foreign nations such as Uganda, Kenya, Sudan etc.
Defining objectives
The indifferent South Sudan security situation should start this national security collaboration objective by having C.I.D, C.P, ISB, GIB working collaboratively to investigate any suspected international criminal like drug trafficking operations or money laundering type of crimes to bring amicable control of these criminal activities in the country. This collaboration would employ a variety of human, technical and liaison intelligence collection methods to satisfy information requirements such as covert physical and communication surveillance, financial monitoring and counter-intelligence. Therefore, the collection operation will focus primarily on the organizational structure and relationships of people involved with transitional, serious and organized crime to identify future disruption methods to apply when appropriate.
Collaboration Strategy
The main mechanism for engaging and collaborating with the identified agencies will include sharing intelligence through secure communication channels, such as encrypted messaging or Online portals, joint task forces will ensure that knowledge and resources are shared amongst agencies. This will support their investigations and analysis process, and outcomes will provide insight to the nation. Furthermore, holding weekly briefings and updates will ensure coordination of information and maintain efficiency of the investigation, above all, the mechanisms will be outlined in a memorandum of understanding formalizing the cooperation and collaboration processes between the agencies.
More importantly, collaboration with and utilizing the appropriate capabilities and resources of local and international agencies is essential. Not only is it important for the sharing of relevant information, but it allows agencies to conduct thorough decision-making, trend and pattern analysis and risk assessment processes. Further, collaborating with other agencies allows for multiple viewpoints and ideas to be considered, which ensures a comprehensive understanding of the situation and development of effective intelligence activities. One will think C.I.D and National Security agencies will be able to assist in collaborating with international law enforcement agencies to share and gather valuable intelligence. They will be able to assist in undertaking surveillance and counter-intelligence operations, as well as provide the technological capabilities for communication interceptions.
The customs police will be able to gather and provide sufficient intelligence on suspicious, significant and international funds transactions to South Sudan law enforce agencies. The financial intelligence department should adopt a memorandum of understanding with bordering countries and to exchange and gather financial intelligence. By the same token, the custom Police resources will assist in monitoring activities focused on the movement of prohibited goods into South Sudan, which can be targeted at imports related to foreigners and domestic money laundering makers.
The immigration custom police are used to collect information from relevant travellers, this information collection plan and can provide notification of the arrival of key figures in connection with organized crime and other individuals that might have the intention to harm the national interest and integrity of the South Sudanese people. OSINT sources relating to the key individuals of this intelligence collaboration will determine connections between people of interest, any prior illegal activity, as well as the structure of ownership between businesses and travellers. When integrated with classified sources, this will enhance the reliability and credibility of OSINT information, leading to a comprehensive understanding of the investigative problems facing South Sudan national security agency.
In summary, the four intelligence agencies namely, Central Investigation Department (CID), Internal Security Bureau (ISB), General Intelligence (G.I.B), Military Intelligence (M.I) and finally, the immigration custom police should be engaged in collaboration in combating organized crime in South Sudan. There is a very important lesson to be learned in this process given the nature of how vital an intelligence organization can be helpfully in disrupting organized crime networks in South Sudan.
In conclusion, intelligence organization like Central Intelligence Agency, Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States, MI5 and MI6 of the United Kingdom, Australian Federal Police and Australian Secret Intelligence Organization and Mossad of Israel, Due to their Intelligence collaborations in their respective countries, help them in combating and disrupting organized crime. South Sudan must start adopting collaboration plan in order to reduce the level of crimes and intelligence failure in South Sudan. Therefore, South Sudan National Security institutions matter a lot for the South Sudanese to sustain their country.
In summary, the briefing must maintain the importance of addressing the need of ethics, law and professionalism in intelligence operations. I think we can argue that the outcomes of the Intelligence operations and collaboration roles, objectives and collaboration can reduce the risks in human factors and legal aspects and provide trust for the greater public. The recent appointment of the new director of the internal security bureau, we hope will soon bring a transparency and well-established shift in how this pivotal institution can cooperate.
The intelligence officer’s advice is that these national agencies from South Sudan Governments intelligence institutions, working to collect, analyses and disseminate intelligence information, make as a priority, National Security for the safety of our nation's infrastructure and her citizens is primarily concerns.
Thank you all,
Deng Duot D’Ajur.
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