By Louis Loku
Badingilo National Park has graduated 50 wildlife rangers after completing two months of intensive training, with the chief park warden and Mangala Payam director calling for stronger wildlife protection, professionalism, community cooperation, and development support for indigenous communities surrounding the park.
During the graduation ceremony, Chief Park Warden Brig. Gen. Gadi Jerry Angelo said the ceremony marked not only the completion of intensive training but also the beginning of a committed path of service, bravery, and dedication to conserving South Sudan’s natural resources and heritage.
Brig. Gen. Gadi said 50 rangers, selected from the park headquarters and communities around the park, had completed two months of rigorous training conducted by five local and international instructors.
According to him, the training equipped the graduates with operational readiness, discipline, honesty, and professionalism needed to engage with surrounding communities and preserve the Great Nile Migration Landscape for South Sudanese people and the wider world.
He told the new graduates that their training, resilience, and dedication had prepared them to protect wildlife and habitats and help secure a future for generations to come.
He urged them to uphold the law, protect wildlife, inspire surrounding communities, promote peace, and strengthen the relationship between people and nature.
The chief park warden further said the graduation demonstrated that conservation is a collective responsibility and should not be left only to wildlife authorities and conservation partners.
He said governments, partners, communities, and rangers must work together to ensure that Badingilo National Park remains a place of hope, pride, and success for South Sudan.
Meanwhile, Mangala Payam Director John Pomsiano, speaking on behalf of the local administration, congratulated the graduating rangers and said wildlife remains important to people, the environment, and conservation.
He called on the graduates to protect the animals in the park and recognise the importance of the natural resources within the area.
Pomsiano said the park is located within Mangala Payam, Juba County, and stressed the importance of recognising the indigenous people of the area.
He appealed to the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism and other stakeholders involved in the management of the park to support the development of the surrounding community.
He specifically called for development initiatives such as a community centre, primary care unit, or primary school health, saying the indigenous communities had made an important contribution by providing their land for the establishment and operation of the park.
He said such support would ensure that the local people and their children also benefit from the conservation initiative in the future.
Pomsiano also thanked the commissioner for approving the area as a park and acknowledged the contribution of Central Equatoria State Governor Emmanuel Adil, the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, and African Parks Management for their roles in supporting and developing Badingilo National Park.
He described the graduation of the 50 rangers as an important achievement and thanked the wildlife authorities, government representatives, and African Parks for their contribution toward making the park operational and strengthening conservation efforts.
Both officials emphasised the importance of protecting Badingilo National Park while maintaining cooperation with the communities living around it, with the newly graduated rangers expected to play a central role in protecting South Sudan’s wildlife and natural heritage.