In Sudan, security risk management goes beyond physical protection measures. It also depends on understanding communities, building trust and maintaining relationships that help Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ personnel operate safely in complex environments.
With support from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDSS) has established a community acceptance-driven security capability in eight priority locations across the Blue Nile, Kordofan and Darfur states. Community Liaison Assistants (CLAs) are embedded in these communities, building the relationships that conventional security systems alone cannot provide ¡ª engaging with communities, understanding local dynamics, and channeling that insight into Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ operations, where access constraints and information gaps shape every decision.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDSS Area Security Adviser covering the southeast Sudan, Ruslan Baiysh-Tegin describes the approach simply: ¡°Community engagement is not separate from security. It helps us understand risks, anticipate changes and make tailored recommendations to inform decision-making."
In the Blue Nile region, CLA Faisal knows that trust has to be built: ¡°When you arrive in any place, you cannot start with systems. You start with people,¡± he says. ¡°You sit with the existing humanitarian partners, community leaders, and all stakeholders, you listen first, and work to build trust. Only after that can anything else work.¡± Through sustained engagement with communities, Faisal tracks local dynamics, identifies emerging areas of concern and ensures local dynamics inform security assessments ¡ª the kind of insight structured approaches alone cannot capture.
CLAs Ahmed and Reem in the Kordofans operate in a complex and sensitive environment. They are both confident that ¡°you have to work through the community. If they accept you, they will talk to you, they will guide you. Without that, you do not really know what is happening.¡±
For CLA Nusiba, communication itself is part of the risk environment. ¡°Every word matters,¡± she says. ¡°If one message is misunderstood, you can lose trust very quickly.¡±
These relationships provide insight that conventional systems cannot consistently deliver. Where formal reporting is delayed, or incomplete, local networks offer early indications of emerging risks before they become crises. These inputs shape security analysis and operational decision-making.
It also redefines what security support means. It is no longer limited to protective measures around personnel and assets. It requires an understanding of how communities perceive the United Nations presence, where trust exists, and how that trust determines access and security.
In Sudan, the first line of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ security is human. It depends on knowing whom to speak to, whom to listen to, and how to read a rapidly changing environment. Through this initiative, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDSS is strengthening those connections across eight locations, recognising that community acceptance is not an addition to security risk management ¡ª it is a core part of it.