Author: The South Sudan Herald

Improved Security Draws Families Home Relative calm across Nasir County has encouraged displaced families to leave Ethiopia and other parts of South Sudan and return home, according to County Commissioner James Gatwech Jok. Officials estimate thousands have resettled in Nasir town, quickly stretching modest reserves of grain and cooking oil as households rebuild their lives. Supply Chains Struggle to Reach Nasir Town While the World Food Programme has air-dropped rations to remote payams, no recent shipment has reached the densely populated town itself. Gatwech notes that barges scheduled to navigate the Sobat River remain delayed, leaving storehouses in the county…

Two-Week Polio Drive Begins in Abyei Health officials in the Abyei Administrative Area rolled out a two-week polio vaccination push on Friday, marking the latest routine immunisation round designed to shield every child under five from the crippling virus. The exercise stretches from Abyei town into the four administrative counties, reflecting what officials view as a zone-wide commitment to stop any potential outbreak before it starts. Minister Yohana Akol Ngor Details Strategy Abyei Minister of Information and Communication Yohana Akol Ngor told Eye Radio the programme ‘targets children from one day old to five years old’ and enjoys technical backing…

Juba Conference Sparks Legal Overhaul After three intense days in Juba, elders, chiefs, scholars and youth from South Sudan’s Nuer community agreed to harmonise divergent customary laws on marriage, dowry and compensation. Delegates said uniform rules will reduce confusion and restore fairness across eastern and western Nuer sections. Dowry Inflation Under Spotlight Speakers highlighted the soaring bride price that now reaches 120–200 cows, each valued at roughly 200 USD. Chairman James Hoth Mai called the escalation unsustainable, warning that it pushes many young men into informal unions and fuels social instability. Delegates therefore endorsed a benchmark of 200 USD per…

Defection Signals Shifting Loyalties Nine members of the SPLA-IO, led by Brigadier-General Taban Daniel Dominic, crossed into the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, according to local officials. Officials said eight other officers and enlisted personnel followed the brigadier, lifting the total to nine defectors acknowledged by county authorities. Claims of Fragmented Leadership In a Magwi press briefing, Gen. Taban accused the SPLA-IO of privileging the personal ambitions of Dr. Riek Machar over frontline welfare, describing leadership as “self-serving” and beset by rivalry. He argued that repeated splits had drained cohesion from Sector 9 forces…

Fresh Clashes Displace Hundreds in Nagero Gunfire before dawn on 27 September ripped through Nagero County, Western Equatoria. SPLA-IO fighters struck an SSPDF barracks at 5:30 a.m., prompting soldiers and civilians to scatter. Community representatives say entire households fled into dense bush, carrying little more than children and urgent prayers for safety. By mid-morning, silence replaced the clashes, yet fear kept residents hidden. Witnesses report one government soldier wounded, but the civilian toll remains uncertain. Informal counts suggest several injuries during the chaotic flight, with some victims still unreachable because footpaths are monitored by armed groups. Women, Children and Elderly…

Djibouti Arbitration Ruling in London The London Court of International Arbitration ruled that Djibouti’s port authority owes no compensation to DP World, erasing a US$1 billion claim and charging the Emirati operator for costs. Djibouti officials hailed the outcome as validation of national sovereignty. Origins of the Contract Breakdown In February 2018 Djibouti unilaterally ended a 30-year concession granting DP World control of container operations at Doraleh. Earlier tribunals sided with the company, awarding US$685 million, but the state resisted payment while seeking new terms. Legal experts say the split decisions reveal a layered governance model where the authority, the…

Hunger Indicator Flashes Red South Sudan, barely fifteen years old, is battling a perfect storm of conflict, climate shock and economic collapse. Food agencies warn that over seven million people teeter on the edge of starvation, a proportion unrivalled outside active warzones. The World Food Programme (WFP) calls the situation a critical tipping point, echoing alerts issued during the 2011 famine in Somalia. For many households, a single meal of sorghum has become a luxury. Power Struggles Driving Insecurity President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar signed a 2018 power-sharing deal, yet rival troops remain largely unreintegrated. Skirmishes in…

El Fasher Siege Forces Pastor’s Escape Rev’d Daramali Abudigin, the last Christian minister still serving in El Fasher, escaped his besieged St Matthew Episcopal Church in mid-September after armed men stormed the sanctuary, killing two worshippers and injuring several more (Religion News Service). He had stayed since RSF fighters began confronting Sudanese Armed Forces in April 2023, maintaining daily prayers during months of shelling. After the attack, Anglican supporters in the UK funded an airlift that finally removed Abudigin and forty civilians from the city’s outskirts. Rapid Support Forces and Humanitarian Blockade The RSF encircled El Fasher in May 2024,…

Presidential Decree Shakes Upper Nile Late Friday, national TV interrupted programming to read two terse decrees from President Salva Kiir. The first relieved Major-General James Koang Chuol of his Upper Nile mandate. The second installed Jacob Dollar Ruot, effective immediately, under articles 165(1)(b) and 106(8)(2)(a) of the transitional constitution. Motives Kept Behind Closed Doors No official explanation accompanied the reshuffle. State House advisors simply framed the move as part of “ongoing efforts to consolidate peace” in a region battered by militia clashes since last year. Koang’s Brief, Turbulent Tenure Koang took office in March after the White Army militia overran…

Presidential Directive Ignites Change In Juba, electricity bills are poised to drop after President Salva Kiir ordered tariffs cut from 1 November 2025, a move welcomed by households and entrepreneurs alike. Juba Electricity Distribution Company project manager James Akwi confirmed that the presidential order will be fully respected, describing it as ‘a consumer-centered milestone’ during a media briefing. Tech Teams Race Against Clock Engineers have begun reconfiguring vending software and smart meters to accommodate the new prices, a task Akwi says requires meticulous code adjustments and field tests but remains ‘well on schedule’. Parallel to the software work, JEDCO is…