South Sudan In Focus - Voice of America

President Salva Kiir's security advisor, Tut Kew Gatluak, and a South Sudanese delegation are in Khartoum to discuss with Sudanese officials the progress made so far in implementing the October 2020 Juba Peace Agreement; The United States Embassy in Juba is calling on the South Sudan government to remove the commissioners of Koch and Mayendit Counties from their positions and hold them accountable for recent human rights violations in Leer County of Unity state

At least 20 people are reported killed, scores of others injured, and thousands displaced following an attack by unidentified gunmen on a cattle camp in Mugali payam of South Sudan's Eastern Equatoria State on Wednesday; The resistance committees of Khartoum State have signed a political charter dubbed 'Charter for the Establishment of the People's Authority', which lays out a two-year transitional period for Sudan.

Health officials in South Sudan report an increase in meningitis cases in Northern Bahr al Ghazal State; A new report by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) says cases of conflict-related sexual violence more than doubled between January and March compared to the same period last year; Authorities in Warrap State say calm has returned to the area following deadly fighting which left 21 people killed and more than a dozen injured in Gogrial East County on Sunday.

Health ministry officials in South Sudan have declared a cholera outbreak in Rubkona County of the country's Unity State; The United Nations has donated 19 million US dollars to help communities in South Sudan prepare for severe flooding expected during the rainy season; Educational officials in the Kreinik locality of Sudan's West Darfur State are expressing concern over the fate of school operations. Schools have remained closed since deadly, inter-communal violence broke out last month.

The United States embassy in South Sudan is calling on South Sudanese leaders to create a conducive environment for the general elections expected to take place next year; Democratic Republic of Congo President, Felix Tshisekedi, has vowed to spearhead efforts to have an arms embargo imposed on South Sudan lifted; Around two dozen South Sudanese in the U.S. staged a “peace rally” in front of the White House Saturday to demand that President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar step down.

A Juba-based economic analyst says South Sudan will continue to experience a protracted economic crisis following an announcement by the country's finance minister that South Sudan's crude oil has been sold up to 2027; Police in the Northern Bahr al Ghazal State capital, Aweil say they are interrogating three Sudanese traders for their alleged involvement in defiling and killing a six-year-old girl on Wednesday before they are charged with defilement and murder; Around 30 political detainees in Sudan have entered a second day of hunger strike to protest their illegal months-long detentions without charges. The detainees demand they be released immediately or charged in a court of law.

Authorities in Duk County of South Sudan's Jonglei State say at least 13 people were killed and several others injured in a fresh attack in the area; Local authorities in Eastern Equatoria State say suspected armed cattle keepers kidnapped eleven men from the Gaji area of Mugali Payam; Some women activists in Sudan's Darfur say hundreds of women displaced by recent inter-communal fighting in Kreneik and Al Geneina towns of West Darfur State are experiencing anxiety and depression and are in need of psychosocial support.

Internally Displaced Persons in South Sudan say they continue to live in fear for their security despite the government's call for reconciliation in the country; Authorities in Magwi County of South Sudan's Eastern Equatoria state say nearly 900 families have been displaced from their homes in Mugali Payam following an attack on the community there; The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Sudan says the situation in Kreneik locality of West Darfur State remains a major concern.

The U.S. Embassy in South Sudan has expressed concern about the state of press freedom in the country as journalists face censorship, intimidation, and extralegal suspension of media outlets at a critical time in the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement; South Sudanese journalists in the Capital Juba say they are subjected to constant intimidation, arbitrary arrests and detention because of their work; Journalists in Sudan's capital, Khartoum say a hostile media environment since the October 25 military coup coupled with economic hardships have forced many journalists to abandon the profession.

Health authorities in South Sudan's Warrap State are reporting the outbreaks of three diseases including measles, rubella and anthrax in the area; Hundreds of residents in Juba's Gurei neighborhood have become homeless after unknown land agents demolished their houses following a land dispute; As Muslims mark the end of Ramadan by the Eid al-Fitr celebration today, families of detained members of the resistance committees are calling on the Sudanese authorities to release their loved ones who have been behind bars for months without charges.

The Darfur Bar Association and UNICEF say at least 20 children were killed in recent inter-communal fighting in West Darfur State; A spokesperson for the SPLA-In-Opposition says a lack of political will from the main peace partners is delaying the graduation of South Sudan's unified forces

We look at challenges facing young women in ICT in South Sudan as UN Women launches the second phase of the African Girls Can Code Initiative in Dar el-Salam, Tanzania; At least four people were killed in Al Genena town of Sudan's West Darfur State last evening following what residents describe as random shooting that started shortly after the Muslim evening prayers; Human Rights Watch says Sudanese security forces have unlawfully detained hundreds of protesters since December 2021 and disappeared dozens of others as part of a crackdown on anti-coup protests following the October 25 military takeover.

The international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Sudan has condemned the killing of three medical workers in the recent inter-communal violence in the Kreinik locality of West Darfur State; A group of church leaders in the United States and the United Kingdom as well as other organizations have written an open letter to South Sudan President Salva Kiir expressing their concern about the future of the country.

A body monitoring South Sudan's ceasefire says the recent fighting in Unity and Upper Nile States between some of the parties to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement is undermining efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire; The High Court in Juba has sentenced a catholic priest and three others to varying prison sentences for last year's attempted assassination of Bishop Christian Carlassare of the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek; The Sudanese Security and Defense Council has ordered a deployment of additional troops in West Darfur State to maintain law and order and prevent further inter-communal fighting in Kerenik and Al Genena.

200 people are reported killed and tens of thousands displaced in inter-communal clashes between Arab nomads and local farmers in Kreinik locality of West Darfur State over the weekend; The Norwegian Refugee Council in Sudan is calling on parties involved in renewed violence in Kreinik town of West Darfur to restrain from harming civilians and allow safe and free passage for civilians fleeing the ongoing violence; Authorities in Jonglei State's Nyirol County say at least seven people were killed and four others injured during a cattle raid in the area over the weekend; Some South Sudanese are adding their voices in paying tribute to the late Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and praising the role he played during southern Sudan's struggle for liberation; On World Malaria Day, the health ministry and World Health Organization officials in South Sudan are rolling out the RTSS anti-malaria vaccine in a bid to save millions from the killer disease

Authorities in the Abyei Special Administrative Area say thousands of people displaced from their homes by recent inter-communal violence are in dire need of humanitarian assistance; Some residents of the Sudanese capital Khartoum have welcomed a decision taken by Khartoum State authorities to regulate the use of motorbikes in a bid to combat crimes including theft in the city.

Residents of the South Sudan capital, Juba, say commodity--and especially food-- prices have increased rapidly over the past few days making it difficult for families to survive; More than one thousand oilfield workers in South Sudan's Upper Nile State have gone on strike accusing their employer, DAR Petroleum Operating Company (DPOC), of failing to implement the South Sudan labor policy which guarantees the workers certain allowances; The South Sudan Refugee Commission has rejected a call by the Ugandan government on South Sudan to contribute towards supporting South Sudanese refugees living in Uganda; Sudanese activists are questioning the judicial system after seeing footage of former President Omar al-Bashir moving around a hospital ward and greeting other patients. Earlier reports alleged the ousted President was let out of Kober Prison because of health complications.

The Editor–in–Chief of The Juba Monitor has been arrested for allegedly defying a court order suspending the newspaper's publication over allegations of malpractice; The United Nations World Food Program in Sudan says more than 18 million people are likely to face acute food insecurity by September 2022 due to a combined effect of conflict, economic crisis, and poor harvests; The international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières says it is treating dozens of people who were wounded in the recent fighting between factions of the SPLM–IO in Leer County of Unity State; A survivor of violence in Darfur is joining our studios in Washington to share his reflections on the ongoing trial of militia leader Ali Kushayb and the prospects of justice for the victims of the Darfur war.

The South Sudan People's Defense Force and the SPLA-In-Opposition are trading accusations following renewed clashes between the two over the weekend; The U.N. Secretary General' special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Hanna Tetteh, has expressed concern over the recent violence in the disputed Abyei region and urged Sudanese and South Sudanese leaders to resolve the status of the Abyei area; A South Sudanese artist is using comedy to lighten the spirits of South Sudanese in the face of violence, insecurity, and a dire humanitarian situation.

A senior South Sudanese church leader is urging the newly unified command of the country's security forces to respect the permanent ceasefire agreement signed by the parties to the 2018 peace deal; Military leaders of the SPLM-In-Opposition Kit-Gwang faction are expressing concern about delays in implementing a peace agreement they signed with the SPLM-In- government three months ago; Some lawmakers from South Sudan's Unity State legislative assembly have petitioned the national government in Juba over environmental pollution due to disregard for proper waste management by oil companies in their area; A 24-year-old man of South Sudanese heritage was shot in Syracuse, New York Saturday morning. Akol Lual later died in the hospital.

The United Nations World Food Program says it has suspended operations in Leer County of South Sudan's Unity State following recent clashes in the area; The Chief Editor of one of South Sudan's oldest English daily, The Juba Monitor, says the newspaper is still operational despite a court order issued early this week to suspend its operations; Sudanese political parties express a mixed reaction to the decision of a Sudanese court to release 20 members of former President Omar Bashir's government after spending nearly two years in jail.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has hailed recent progress made by the parties to the revitalized peace agreement in unifying the command of security agencies; Authorities in the Abyei Special Administrative Area say dozens of civilians were killed and many others injured after a group of suspected armed Misseriya men from neighboring Sudan attacked the area.

South Sudanese activists have welcomed the unification of the country's security agencies' command structure but say the parties must do more to complete the integration of forces into one army and other regular forces; Police in the Jonglei State capital Bor have confirmed the arrest of Yar Ayuen Mabior who had accused the police of arresting and stripping her naked for alleged “indecent” dressing. A police spokesperson says she will be arraigned on defamation charges; The United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Sudan is expressing concern over continued inter-communal clashes in the Darfur region where more than 100 people have been killed, and 15,000 others displaced across the region since late last month.

United Nations and local officials say thousands of civilians have been displaced in Leer County of Unity State following clashes between the SPLA-IO faction allied to First Vice President Riek Machar and armed young men allied to the SPLA-IO faction led by Simon Gatwech in the area late last week; A lawmaker representing Yirol East County in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly says five parties in the South Sudan Opposition Alliance have not been consulted or asked to nominate candidates for the command structure of South Sudan's unified forces; Authorities in Unity state's Mayom County say more than 50 inmates jailed for what officials term petty crimes have been pardoned and set free by the state governor.

Displaced civilians in Leer County of Unity State recount horrifying rights abuses in the area following recent clashes between forces loyal to South Sudan's first vice president Riek Machar and a faction of the SPLA-IO loyal to his former chief of staff; Women leaders and lawmakers representing Jonglei State in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly say security operatives in Bor are harassing women and girls under the guise of implementing a decent dress code; As Sudanese mark three years today since former President Omar al Bashir was ousted, some say not much has changed. Others say the economic conditions have worsened and blame the military for undermining a transition to democratic and civilian rule.

The recently installed bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek, Christian Carlassare, says the anticipated visit of Pope Francis to South Sudan could play a vital role in achieving peace and unity among South Sudanese communities; Sudanese activists in the Netherlands and other parts of Europe are staging a protest in the Hague to support the ongoing trial of Sudanese militia leader Ali Kushayb and stand in solidarity with victims of alleged war crimes in Darfur.

The Kit-Gwang faction of the SPLM-IO is accusing forces loyal to South Sudan's first vice president Riek Machar of attacking its position in Unity State; The United Nations has commended recent steps taken to implement important provisions in South Sudan's peace agreement urging the parties to use the momentum to fully implement the deal and prepare the nation for elections in 2023; A South Sudanese political analyst says a recent agreement to unify government and opposition forces is not equitable. Professor Jok Madut Jok says South Sudan peace partners have much to do to realize the prospects of fair elections in 2023.

The South Sudan government has launched nationwide public consultations for the establishment of the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing; Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in what was formerly known as the Protection of Civilians Site in the Jonglei State capital Bor are urging the government to speed up implementation of the peace agreement so that they can return to their villages; Sudanese lawyers and human rights activists are applauding the International Criminal Court for beginning the trial of one of the individuals accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahaman (Ali Kushayb) pleaded not guilty to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity he allegedly commanded and participated in in Sudan's Dafur region. Kushayb's trial kicked off Tuesday at the International Criminal Court; South Sudan's Troika countries (U.S., U.K., Norway) have welcomed a security agreement on a unified command for forces belonging to the SPLM ̶ In Government, the SPLM ̶ In Opposition, and the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).

South Sudanese civil society activists have cautiously welcomed a security deal reached Sunday by parties to the 2018 peace agreement; Some women leaders in South Sudan have welcomed the deal reached by the SPLM-IG, SPLM-IO, and SSOA over the weekend to form a command structure for the unified forces and call for a fair representation of women in the process; Sudanese nationals from the Darfur region who are living in the South Sudan capital Juba are welcoming the trial of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (Ali Kushayb) who is expected to appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague Tuesday; Sudanese diplomats react to remarks made by the head of Sudan's Sovereign Council general Abdul-Fattah al-Burhan threatening to expel the head of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, if the latter oversteps his mandate

The U.S. Statement Department warns that it will continue to impose punitive measures on leaders who are perpetuating the conflict in South Sudan; The African Union, IGAD, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission have joined other leaders in appealing for calm and urging South Sudanese leaders to pursue dialogue and complete implementing the revitalized peace agreement, The SPLM- IO says it has submitted a number of recommendations to the Sudanese leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that would pave the way for a smooth implementation of security arrangements in South Sudan.

The SPLM/A-In-Opposition has welcomed assurances from President Salva Kiir of his commitment to fully implement the 2018 peace agreement; Some church leaders in South Sudan are urging the parties to the Revitalized Peace Agreement to resolve their differences through dialogue in order to avoid returning the country to war; Humanitarian organizations are appealing for 1.7 billion US dollars to assist 6.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid in South Sudan this year.

The U.S. State Department says it is concerned with growing tensions in South Sudan following recent reported clashes and has called on President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar to de-escalate the situation; A senior Uganda government official is calling on the leaders of the SPLM In-Government and SPLM -In Opposition to cease hostilities and recommit to implementing the revitalized agreement signed in 2018; And, the Norwegian Refugee Council or NRC says a reduction in food aid at refugee camps in Uganda has forced many South Sudanese refugees to make dangerous and expensive journeys back to South Sudan risking exposure to violence and extortion.

Some opposition politicians have criticized President Salva Kiir's decision to order the National Security Service to declassify information pertaining to the 2013 and 2016 violence that started in Juba and spread to other parts of the country; Some civil society activists say President Salva Kiir's speech on Monday did not address the real problems facing the implementation of the peace agreement; Human Rights Watch is welcoming the upcoming trial of Sudanese militia leader Ali Kosheib at the International Criminal Court in the Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Darfur

South Sudan's government has deployed security forces around First Vice President Riek Machar's house in Juba. Government spokesperson Michael Makuei says the South Sudan People's Defense Forces and national security forces are being deployed for Machar's own safety; A signatory to the South Sudan 2018 peace agreement says the implementation of the deal has stalled. Rajab Mohandis says the main body monitoring the deal has done very little to report recent attacks by the South Sudan army on opposition bases across the country; Some SPLM-IO officials and supporters are calling on the brokers of the revitalized peace deal to intervene immediately, arguing that agreement is on the verge of collapse

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission are urging partners in the unity government to respect the peace agreement; The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has wrapped up a three-day training for journalists from east Africa's Djibouti, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda on disinformation and countering violent extremism

Authorities in Jonglei State say at least nine people were killed, scores of others injured and an unconfirmed number of cattle stolen following attacks by unidentified gunmen in Nyirol and Uror Counties Wednesday evening; South Sudan's TROIKA (U.S., U.K., Norway) has condemned reported attacks by the South Sudan People's Defense Force (SSPDF) on SPLA-IO military bases in parts of Upper Nile State, saying the clashes risk starting greater violence in the country; The Catholic faithful in Lakes and Warrap States are welcoming tomorrow's planned consecration of Christian Calassare as Bishop of Rumbek Diocese, which covers Lakes State and parts of Warrap State.

Police in the South Sudan Jonglei State's Twic East County are on the hunt for an unidentified assailant who killed a health worker in the area; The SPLM/SPLA ̶ IO led by South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar has suspended its participation in meetings aimed at discussing the implementation of the 2018 peace deal over alleged attacks on its military positions; The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, and its partners have appealed for 1.2 billion US dollars to respond to the humanitarian needs of South Sudanese refugees living in neighboring countries.

Sudanese activists and human rights defenders have welcomed Monday's decision by the U.S. Treasury Department to sanction Sudan's Central Reserve Police for using excessive violence against peaceful protesters in Sudan; A dispute between the SPLM-In Government, SPLM-In Opposition and the South Sudan Opposition Alliance over the leadership of the country's unified security forces is delaying implementation of security arrangements stipulated in the revitalized peace agreement; A delegation from Sudan's South Kordofan State is in Aweil, capital of South Sudan's Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, to discuss peace between the Dinka Malual and the Misseriya communities

South Sudan authorities are dismissing a new report by the United Nations Humans Rights Commission which says armed groups in the country have continued to use rape against women and girls as a military tactic; Authorities in South Sudan's Warrap State have launched a disarmament exercise in a bid to end inter-communal violence being perpetrated by armed militias in the area; A Sudanese political analyst says Russia's war in Ukraine has put a strain on an already faltering economy in Sudan

Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan is in the South Sudanese capital Juba to discuss issues related to the implementation of South Sudan's 2018 peace agreement; Two communities in South Sudan's Jonglei State have signed a peace agreement to end deadly cattle raids in the area; With less than a year left for South Sudanese to conduct general elections, South Sudanese leaders have yet to amend the country's Political Parties Act initially approved in 2012

Lecturers and other support staff at Rumbek University of Science and Technology have laid down their tools to demand the over non-payment of salary arrears days after employees at two other public universities went on strike; Some families in Jonglei State say they are struggling to put food on table after last year's floods destroyed their farms; Media houses in South Sudan say their efforts to provide information to the public across the country are constantly being hampered by a lack of access to information from some government agencies

The UN Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) one year with 13 members of the council voting in favor of the extension. Russia and China abstained; Local leaders in Yei County of South Sudan's Central Equatoria State say gunmen abducted five motorcycle operators, commonly known as boda-boda, along the Yei ̶ Ombaci road as they were transporting passengers to a local market; Authorities in the Western Bahr el Ghazal State capital Wau are training dozens of youth who formerly belonged to youth gangs in various vocational professions as part of a youth empowerment program

With less than a year left to the end of South Sudan's unity government, some political leaders say the country is not ready for general elections; Lecturers at the University of Bahr-el-Ghazal joined their counterparts at the University of Juba Monday in laying down their tools to pressure the government to pay them six months' salary arrears; Local leaders say more than 10, 000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) remain in dire need of basic necessities including shelter, food, and clean water weeks after they were displaced when cattle keepers attacked villages in Eastern Equatoria State; Authorities in Twic County of Warrap State and Abyei Special Administrative Area are welcoming the arrival of a fact-finding committee to investigate the root causes of the recent deadly conflict between communities from the two areas.

Authorities in South Sudan's Greater Pibor Administrative Area say two people were killed and seven children went missing after armed forces from neighboring Ethiopia invaded Jebel Boma County; The death toll from the violence in West Darfur's Jebel Moon has risen to 35 with thousands of people displaced into neighboring Chad

A South Sudanese lawmaker is expressing concern about the huge amount of money the country owes regional bodies it subscribes to-- including the East Africa Community and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development

The spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Abyei (UNISFA) says recent attacks which killed dozens of people and displaced tens of thousands of civilians seem to be well-coordinated, adding that the mission lacks capacity to deter violence; The governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, Sarah Cleto Hassan, is expressing concern about the dismissive attitude of some men towards women leaders in South Sudan as a result of inherited norms and cultures; Some South Sudanese women say protracted conflict and economic hardship have forced them to take up the responsibility of providing for their families beside the domestic duties to their children and husbands

Authorities are condemning a deadly cattle raid in Rubkona County of South Sudan's Unity State which left more than a dozen South Sudanese and Sudanese cattle herders killed; Lecturers at South Sudan's main public university, the University of Juba, have gone on strike to protest the non-payment of their salary arrears for the past six months; Some 60 South Sudanese inmates sent to harvest sesame in Sudanese farms near the border with Ethiopia were reportedly captured by the Ethiopian armed group early this week

Authorities in Jonglei State say a dozen people were killed and many others injured during a cattle raid in the state's Duk County on Monday; A member of South Sudan's National Legislative Assembly, Grace Abalang, says women from Eastern Equatoria State do not have reason to celebrate International Women's Day because of recent violence and subsequent displacement of thousands of women; Authorities in Lakes State have detained and are investigating two police officers following an incident in which they opened fire on a private vehicle killing a young woman and injuring two other passengers

Authorities in the Abyei Special Administrative Area say dozens of people were killed and many others injured by suspected armed militia from Twic County of Warrap State and some Sudanese Misseriya nomads over the weekend; Ahead of International Women's Day Tuesday, Some South Sudanese women involved in cross border trade say they face several hurdles as compared to their male counterparts; The Western Bahr el Ghazal State government says sports and cultural activities have helped in building peace and ensuring cohesion among different communities in the area

As the world commemorates Women's History Month, some South Sudanese women in the capital, Juba, are complaining about what they call discriminatory and unlawful treatment they receive from police and immigration officers at the various checkpoints whenever they travel with their children; Authorities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area say prices of basic commodities have sharply dropped after traders resorted to supplying the town through Eastern Equatoria State a month after the Juba-Pibor road shutdown over insecurity; With just 12 months to the end of the transitional period, partners in South Sudan's unity government have yet to establish a Special Reconstruction Fund, as required by the revitalized peace agreement