Sao Tome, May 27, 2026 (Lusa) – A United Nations-backed study, presented this week in Sao Tome and Principe, highlighted several weaknesses and a lack of coordination among national law and order institutions in the country, recommending the reinforcement and modernisation of the sector.
The defence and internal order minister, Horácio Sousa, said that the report, presented on Monday, identified several challenges, such as the “overlap of roles and responsibilities, and the weakness of external oversight and control mechanisms”.
It also highlighted “the urgent need to modernise infrastructure, equipment and operational resources, [highlighting] ongoing limitations in inter-institutional coordination, and [the] growing public mistrust towards certain institutions in the sector”.
“This situation demonstrates the need to promote a profound change in institutional culture, replacing isolated working practices with a spirit of cooperation, coordination and complementarity between institutions,” he said.
According to the minister, the report drawn up by national institutions with support from the United Nations, through the Peacebuilding Fund, as part of the project to strengthen defence and law and order institutions, presents a “clear, honest and detailed assessment”.
The document highlights data from Afrobarometer, according to which “75.6% of São Toméans are dissatisfied with police services”, but the justice minister, Vera Cravid, assured that São Tomé and Príncipe is safe.
“We have security, but we need to improve this sector, adapt it to new global demands and make it more effective so that we can respond more quickly to everything we aim to achieve,” she said.
The assistant representative of the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) in São Tomé and Príncipe, Debora Nanjda, who represented the UN at the presentation of the report, said that São Tomé and Príncipe was the first country to present its national conflict prevention strategy to the UN Peacebuilding Commission in June 2025.
The security sector review report now presented is “an achievement for São Tomé and Príncipe” and is the result of a process led by its people “with courage, responsibility and a vision for the country’s future”, which took into account their priorities and concerns, she said.
"This report sets out important recommendations for the future, including the definition of a national security strategy, the strengthening of institutions, the modernisation of the security sector, the promotion of human rights and the strengthening of women’s participation in peace and security processes," she concluded.
JYAF/MYAL // AYLS
Lusa
