Beyond HEAT: Rethinking Safety and Security Training for National Staff in South Sudan

Every year, humanitarian organisations invest considerable time and resources in preparing international staff to work in complex environments. HEAT courses, pre-deployment briefings, security inductions and journey management procedures are all well-established parts of responsible security management. In South Sudan, where organisations operate across an exceptionally varied and often difficult security environment, that preparation is essential.

There is, however, an opportunity to think more broadly about how we prepare national staff for the risks they encounter. South Sudanese colleagues are the backbone of humanitarian operations across the country. They are often the people travelling most frequently to project locations, managing distributions, engaging with communities and authorities, maintaining field offices and continuing programmes through periods when international movement may be restricted.

Their exposure to risk can also look quite different. For national staff, personal security does not begin when they arrive at the office and end when they leave it. The journey home, the security of their house or compound, their visibility within their own community and the routes they travel outside working hours can all form part of their wider risk environment. This creates an important question for organisations working in South Sudan: does the security preparation we provide reflect the reality of how our national colleagues live and work?

Moving beyond a standard security course

This was the thinking behind Archer's Personal Safety & Security Training programme for national staff in South Sudan. It was not developed as a replacement for HEAT, nor as a simplified version of a course designed for international personnel. It was developed around a different starting point: understanding the practical risks national colleagues face and giving them useful tools for managing those risks.

That distinction matters. A member of staff travelling home through Juba in the evening may need to think about route variation, situational awareness and what to do if they believe they are being followed. Someone regularly travelling through field locations may need greater confidence in checkpoint behaviour, negotiation and communications. Staff living in residential compounds may benefit from understanding relatively simple measures that can improve security at home, as well as knowing what to do during a compound intrusion or when gunfire occurs nearby.

The objective is not to make employees responsible for managing risks that properly sit with their organisation. Duty of care remains an organisational responsibility, supported by appropriate security management, procedures, information and resources. Training complements those systems by giving staff the knowledge and confidence to make better decisions when they are the person actually facing the situation.

South Sudan cannot be treated as one security environment

One of the most important principles behind effective security training in South Sudan is recognising how significantly the operating environment changes from one location to another. A generic national security briefing can provide a useful baseline, but it cannot fully prepare someone for the particular dynamics they may encounter in their own location.

Yei is a good example. When preparing personnel who travel in and around Yei and parts of Central Equatoria, kidnapping and abduction may form part of the risk discussion. That does not mean kidnapping should automatically be given the same prominence in training delivered elsewhere in South Sudan. In another location, road ambushes, communal conflict, armed robbery, cattle-related violence, UXO, civil unrest or compound intrusion may be considerably more relevant.

The same principle applies at a much more detailed level. Checkpoints exist throughout South Sudan, but the nature of those checkpoints, the actors involved and the way an organisation expects its personnel to respond can vary. A team regularly conducting road movements needs to understand not only general checkpoint principles but the situations it is reasonably likely to encounter on its actual routes.

Good security awareness training therefore needs both consistency and flexibility. There are core principles that apply everywhere, but those principles become considerably more useful when they are connected to local circumstances.

What we have learned from delivering training in the field

Our experience delivering safety and security training for humanitarian organisations across South Sudan has reinforced the value of this approach.

In Lankien, Archer supported Oxfam with safety and security training connected to field operations, including food distribution activities. The security considerations surrounding a distribution are particular to that activity. Staff need to understand crowd dynamics, access and exit routes, communications, community engagement and the early indicators that a situation may be changing. Training becomes more valuable when those issues are discussed in relation to the distributions staff are actually supporting rather than as abstract scenarios.

In Pibor, our training has included a particular focus on compound intrusion and how staff should respond. Here, the value lies in moving beyond the identification of compound intrusion as a threat and working through the response itself: where staff should move, how information is communicated, when assistance is requested and how individual actions can either reduce or inadvertently increase the risk during an already difficult situation.

Our work with Caritas Austria in Yambio took a different approach again. The security workshop combined familiarisation with Caritas' own security SOPs with broader security awareness training. Staff considered threats, vulnerabilities and risk; personal safety at home and in the office; journey management; and appropriate conduct at security checkpoints. The programme also incorporated practical fire safety and Basic First Aid, including scene assessment, treatment priorities and responses to bleeding, burns, fractures and cardiac emergencies.

These examples are different because the organisations, activities and locations were different. That is precisely the point. Effective training should have enough structure to provide a consistent standard while remaining flexible enough to address the circumstances in which people actually operate.

Making security training relevant to the individual

There is another dimension that is sometimes overlooked. Location is only one part of the risk picture; people's roles matter too.

A driver travelling several hours each day may need a greater emphasis on journey management, vehicle safety, checkpoints and what to do following an incident on the road. A programme team supporting distributions may need more discussion around crowds, community tensions and maintaining situational awareness while focused on programme delivery. Staff working predominantly from an office may benefit more from compound security, fire safety, emergency procedures and personal security during their journey to and from work.

This is why we believe bespoke security training should begin with a conversation about the organisation. We want to understand where staff are working, what they are doing, what incidents or near misses the organisation has experienced, what concerns staff themselves have raised and what security procedures are already in place. Where appropriate, an organisation's own SOPs and security plans can then be incorporated into the course.

This also avoids creating a parallel security system in the classroom. Training should reinforce an organisation's existing security management arrangements, not inadvertently introduce procedures that contradict them.

The value of taking training out of Juba

There are clear practical advantages to delivering training in Juba, particularly where organisations want to bring together staff from several locations. Archer can deliver the Personal Safety & Security course in Juba in English or Arabic and tailor it to the roles and locations represented in the room.

There is also considerable value in taking safety and security training into field locations. When training is delivered in Yei, Pibor, Yambio, Lankien, Bentiu, Malakal or another operational location, the surrounding environment itself becomes part of the learning.

A checkpoint exercise can be discussed in the context of checkpoints staff regularly encounter. A compound-security session can consider the actual layout and vulnerabilities of the facility in which people work. Journey management can be related to real routes and realistic alternatives. Staff can discuss incidents and near misses that have occurred locally and consider what can be learned from them.

This makes security training less theoretical and allows participants to connect broader security principles with their own experience and local knowledge. Importantly, it also recognises that national staff are not passive recipients of security information. They often have an exceptionally detailed understanding of their operating environment. Effective training creates space for that knowledge to form part of the discussion.

Security & Safety at GDF sites in Lankien for Oxfam

Practical capability matters

Security awareness is only part of preparedness. Our Personal Safety & Security course can include situational awareness, risk mitigation, journey management, vehicle and road safety, checkpoint behaviour and negotiation, UXO and mine awareness, residential and compound security, communications, incident reporting, human rights and PSEA, and emergency decision-making.

We also place considerable emphasis on practical First Aid and Fire Fighting training. These are skills that can benefit staff professionally and personally. Understanding how to assess a casualty, control serious bleeding or respond appropriately to a fire provides a practical capability that extends well beyond a security classroom.

This combination of awareness and practical skills is important. The purpose of training should not simply be to demonstrate that a topic has been covered or that staff have attended a course. The more useful measure is whether people leave better able to recognise a developing problem, understand the options available to them and respond appropriately under pressure.

Broadening the conversation around duty of care

The humanitarian sector in South Sudan already invests significantly in staff safety and has developed sophisticated approaches to security management in an extremely challenging environment. The opportunity is not to replace those systems, but to continue broadening the conversation about who receives structured security preparation and what that preparation should look like.

National staff bring enormous contextual knowledge to humanitarian operations. They understand communities, languages, relationships and local dynamics in ways that cannot be replicated through a briefing. At the same time, familiarity with an environment should not be confused with immunity from its risks. Local knowledge and structured security preparation should complement one another.

As we mark World Humanitarian Day, this is worth reflecting on. If national colleagues are routinely travelling into the field, passing through checkpoints, supporting distributions, working in remote communities and responding when programmes face disruption, investing in their personal safety and preparedness should be considered an integral part of organisational duty of care.

To mark World Humanitarian Day, Archer is offering 10% off our Personal Safety & Security Training for national staff in South Sudan. Courses can be delivered in English or Arabic, either in Juba or in field locations across South Sudan, and can be adapted to an organisation's existing SOPs, operating locations, staff roles and specific risk environment.

For us, the principle is straightforward: good security training should reflect the people receiving it, the work they do and the places in which they actually operate.

South Sudan's First UNESCO World Heritage Site: A Landmark Achievement – But What Comes Next?

A New Story for South Sudan

For much of its short history, South Sudan has struggled to control its own narrative.

International headlines have largely been shaped by conflict, humanitarian crises and political uncertainty. While these stories reflect genuine challenges, they have also obscured another reality: South Sudan is a country of extraordinary natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and remarkable resilience. Last week's inscription of the Boma–Badingilo Migratory Landscape as South Sudan's first UNESCO World Heritage Site offers the world a rare opportunity to look at the country through a different lens.

The designation is undoubtedly a landmark achievement. It recognises one of the world's most significant wildlife migrations, where vast herds of white-eared kob, tiang, Mongalla gazelle and other species move across an immense landscape that remains one of Africa's last great wildernesses. It is an important victory for conservation, for science and for the communities that have lived alongside these ecosystems for generations.

Yet the significance of this moment extends far beyond wildlife.

The more interesting question is not what UNESCO has recognised, but what South Sudan chooses to do with that recognition.

Recognition Is Only the Beginning

History shows that World Heritage status does not automatically transform a country's fortunes. It does not build roads, attract airlines or create tourism industries overnight. What it does provide is something far more valuable: international attention. For countries seeking to diversify their economies and reshape global perceptions, attention is often the first step towards confidence. Confidence encourages investment, investment creates opportunity, and opportunity has the potential to reshape economies over time.

This is where the story becomes far more compelling than conservation alone.

South Sudan possesses many of the ingredients that have helped establish successful tourism economies elsewhere in Africa. Its landscapes remain largely untouched by mass development. Its wildlife migration is among the largest on the planet. Its cultural diversity is exceptional, and many areas retain an authenticity that has disappeared from more established destinations. At a time when travellers increasingly seek meaningful, sustainable and less commercialised experiences, these qualities may ultimately become some of South Sudan's greatest strengths.

Turning Potential into Opportunity

But natural assets alone have never been enough.

Botswana did not become a leading safari destination simply because it had elephants. Rwanda's reputation was not transformed by mountain gorillas alone. Across Africa, successful conservation has depended upon long-term investment in infrastructure, governance, community participation and institutions capable of protecting both people and the environment. Wildlife may attract attention, but confidence determines whether visitors arrive, businesses invest and local economies benefit.

For South Sudan, that confidence will need to be built carefully and consistently.

Political uncertainty, limited transport infrastructure and seasonal access remain genuine constraints. Key routes, including the Bor corridor, continue to present logistical and security challenges that influence how organisations plan operations and how investors assess risk. None of these realities diminish the importance of UNESCO recognition. Rather, they highlight the work that still lies ahead if this achievement is to become more than a symbolic milestone.

Security as an Enabler of Development

This is why it is perhaps more useful to think of security not as an industry, but as an enabler of development.

The word "security" often evokes images of guards, checkpoints or crisis response. In reality, successful development depends on something much broader: the confidence that people can travel, invest, conduct research, build businesses and support communities over the long term. Conservation organisations require stable access to protected areas. Researchers need reliable logistics. Tour operators depend on predictable infrastructure. Investors seek environments where projects can be delivered with confidence. In this sense, security is not the destination; it is one of the foundations upon which sustainable development is built.

Communities at the Heart of Conservation

Equally important is ensuring that the benefits of international recognition extend beyond the protected landscape itself. Around the world, conservation initiatives have sometimes struggled because local communities have seen little benefit from the resources surrounding them. South Sudan has an opportunity to pursue a different model—one in which communities are not simply custodians of wildlife, but active participants in the economic opportunities that conservation can create. Local guides, accommodation providers, transport operators, artisans and entrepreneurs all have the potential to become part of a wider ecosystem that supports both livelihoods and environmental protection.

There is another dimension to this story that deserves equal attention. UNESCO has inscribed the Boma–Badingilo landscape onto the World Heritage List while simultaneously placing it on the List of World Heritage in Danger. This is not a contradiction; it is a recognition that places of exceptional value often require exceptional protection. It acknowledges the pressures posed by poaching, climate change, unmanaged development and instability, while also inviting greater international cooperation to safeguard one of the world's most significant ecosystems. The designation should therefore be viewed not as the conclusion of a conservation journey, but as the beginning of a long-term commitment.

A Defining Moment

Perhaps the greatest opportunity created by this recognition is neither tourism nor conservation. It is the chance to redefine how South Sudan is perceived.

Nations, like companies, are shaped by their stories. For too long, South Sudan's story has been written largely by others and dominated by crisis. UNESCO has offered the country a different narrative—one centred on natural heritage, global significance and future potential. Whether that narrative takes hold will depend not only on government, but also on local communities, conservation organisations, responsible investors and the private sector working together towards a common vision.

The inscription of the Boma–Badingilo Migratory Landscape will not change South Sudan overnight. But it has changed the conversation.

The challenge now is to ensure that this moment becomes more than international recognition of an extraordinary landscape. It should become the starting point for broader discussions about conservation, infrastructure, investment and sustainable development. If South Sudan can build the confidence that transforms global attention into long-term partnerships, this UNESCO designation may ultimately be remembered not simply as the country's first World Heritage Site, but as the moment the world began to see South Sudan differently.

International Security Officer Day: Celebrating the People Behind Archer International

Every year, International Security Officer Day provides an opportunity to recognise the men and women who work tirelessly to protect people, organisations and communities around the world. At Archer International, it is also a chance to celebrate the people who have built our company from the ground up.

Since our establishment in South Sudan in 2019, Archer has grown into one of the country's leading providers of professional security services, supporting humanitarian organisations, diplomatic missions, commercial businesses and development partners across some of the most complex operating environments in East Africa.

Behind every successful deployment, every incident prevented and every client supported is a dedicated Security Officer.

Security Is About People

Security is often associated with uniforms, vehicles, technology and procedures. While these are all important, they are only tools.

Professional security begins with people.

Our officers are the first people our clients meet each morning and often the last they see before leaving site. They are responsible for access control, visitor management, emergency response, incident reporting, safeguarding personnel and maintaining a safe environment for thousands of staff and visitors every day.

Many also work in remote locations across South Sudan where professionalism, sound judgement and local knowledge are essential.

The quality of any security company is ultimately defined by the people wearing its uniform.

Six Years of Building Together

As Archer celebrates six years of operations in South Sudan, looking back through our photographs tells a much bigger story than contracts or deployments.

Many of our team members have worked alongside one another long before Archer was established. Others joined us as new recruits and have progressed through training, mentorship and promotion into leadership positions.

The photographs capture more than security officers standing on post.

They show early morning briefings before deployment. Training exercises that sharpen lifesaving skills. Client visits across South Sudan. Fire safety drills. Community engagement. Team celebrations. Long days in challenging conditions. New uniforms. New offices. New contracts.

Every image represents people who have helped shape Archer into the organisation it is today.

Professional Security Through Continuous Training

One of Archer's core principles has always been that great security is built through continuous learning.

Every Security Officer receives structured induction training before deployment, followed by regular refresher training throughout their career.

Training covers far more than traditional guarding. Officers develop skills in:

• Customer service and professional communication

• Human rights and ethical security practices

• Emergency response and incident management

• Fire safety and first aid

• Health and safety

• Report writing

• Access control and search procedures

• Safeguarding and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)

This commitment to professional development helps ensure our clients receive consistent, high-quality security services across every location where Archer operates.

Supporting Humanitarian and Commercial Clients Across South Sudan

Our Security Officers support organisations working across South Sudan in humanitarian relief, development, infrastructure, diplomacy and the private sector.

These organisations often operate in demanding environments where reliable security enables them to continue delivering healthcare, education, food assistance, livelihoods programmes and commercial operations safely.

Security is rarely the headline.

But it is often the foundation that allows everything else to happen.

A Team Built on Trust

One of Archer's greatest strengths has always been its people.

We believe that the best teams are built through mutual respect, shared responsibility and looking after one another. Whether someone is a newly recruited Security Officer or a senior manager, everyone contributes to the same mission.

That culture extends beyond our own staff to the relationships we build with our clients, local communities and partners across South Sudan.

Professional security is ultimately built on trust.

Looking Ahead

International Security Officer Day is an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come, but it is also a reminder of where we are going.

As South Sudan continues to develop, the need for professional, ethical and highly trained security providers will only continue to grow. Archer remains committed to investing in our people, embracing new technology, maintaining international best practice and continually raising standards across the private security industry.

To every Archer Security Officer—past and present—thank you.

Your professionalism, commitment and resilience have built this company. We are proud of everything we have achieved together, and even more excited about what lies ahead.

Happy International Security Officer Day from everyone at Archer International.