Overview: South Sudan is the newest country in the world, one of its least developed, and is recovering from 22 years of civil war. In 2012, the Government of South Sudan suffered from multiple institutional weaknesses – including insufficient policing and intelligence gathering capabilities, capacity and professionalism deficits within the military, inadequate border controls, and deficient aviation security and screening at the country's main international airports in Juba, Malakal, and Rumbek. The government's ability to enact preventive measures and to conduct counterterrorism operations was extremely limited. The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph Kony, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224, remained a threat.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Airport security improved slightly with the implementation of some International Civil Aviation Organization security standards. Juba International Airport accepts travel documents in the form of identity cards and passports that generally meet international standards. South Sudan has very limited monetary and human resource capacity to provide effective law enforcement and border security with respect to counterterrorism. Additionally, the border with Sudan is disputed in many locations.

Countering Terrorist Finance: South Sudan is not a member of a Financial Action Task Force-style regional body. In August, South Sudan passed anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism legislation. The country's capabilities to implement or enforce the law remained limited. For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, we refer you to the 2013 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Regional and International Cooperation: South Sudan is a member of the UN, the AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Interpol, and the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization, a sub-regional organization of Interpol. South Sudan participated in the AU Regional Task Force (AU-RTF), a joint military task force that includes Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. The AU-RTF is tasked with eliminating the LRA threat in the region, and is supported by the UN and AU.

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