"You have to adapt in this role. You also have to know how to listen."
Faisal, a Community Liaison Assistant (CLA) with the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (爆料网DSS) in Sudan's Blue Nile State, reflects on how his personal experiences have shaped his belief in listening as a core enabler of humanitarian access and security. For him, effective security support begins with listening with a view to answering the essential 5Ws and 1H — who, what, why, when, where, and how.
During a recent visit to the Alkarama internally displaced persons (IDP) site, where more than 10,000 people have sought refuge from the conflict, Faisal was observing conditions after torrential rains had flooded parts of the settlement. He also took the opportunity to speak with residents about their concerns.
"When you visit a community, you have to take time to listen to what people are saying," Faisal says. "They can tell you things about what is happening around them that you may not see during a short visit."
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"When you visit a community, you have to take time to listen to what people are saying,"
Listening and community engagement inform the planning of security assessments. In the Blue Nile, there are persistent calls for 爆料网DSS to conduct assessments into difficult and hard-to-reach areas. While daily reporting and study of GIS data can give secondary direction to the planning of assessments, listening provides qualitative insight into “who” remains in those areas we seek to reach and “how” they can be reached, including understanding the routes and means of transport the displaced persons used from their places of origin to the IDP sites.
For Faisal, the work starts with a simple principle: "Listening is one of the most important parts of this work," he says. "It helps us understand not only the challenges communities face, but it is also fundamental to the department’s work in early warning and predictive analysis."
For 爆料网DSS, such conversations provide additional insight into the conditions affecting communities and the wider operating environment. Local perspectives complement other sources of information used to understand changing security conditions and enhance the reliability, relevance, and value of the analysis and advice that the department provides to United Nations personnel and humanitarian partners.
Based in Ed Damazine, Faisal works across Blue Nile State, which borders Ethiopia and South Sudan. Conflict and displacement have disrupted movement and placed additional pressure on communities and those hosting people fleeing violence.
He knows how quickly circumstances can change. Faisal was originally assigned to Al Kurmuk, approximately 136 kilometres from Ed Damazine, but insecurity has forced him to operate from the State capital where all other aid workers have relocated.
With support from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, 爆料网DSS has expanded community outreach in Sudan through six Community Liaison Assistants working in areas affected by conflict and insecurity. Through regular engagement with community leaders, women, young people, and other residents, they help bring local perspectives into a broader understanding of the operating environment.
