Author: The South Sudan Herald

Tense calm returns to Abyei trading hub Rain clouds hung low over Rumamer on Monday, yet shopkeepers opened early, greeting buyers with sorghum sacks and goat herds. The scene contrasted sharply with Thursday’s gunfire that left five people dead and three nursing bullet wounds. Local officials blame armed youth believed to have crossed from Unity State’s Mayom County, a corridor repeatedly flagged by security reports for unchecked movements of rifles and cattle. Eyewitness accounts deepen community concerns Rumamer County Commissioner Lual Chol told this magazine, “There is calm today, but criminals exploited the eastern corridor and struck Mading Jook Thiang.”…

Presidential Decree Elevates Seasoned Journalist Viewers across South Sudan learned on Thursday evening that President Salva Kiir had named John Madol Panther as managing director of the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, replacing James Magok Chilim Chok after seven years at the helm. According to the presidential decree, the move followed a unanimous recommendation from SSBC’s board of directors. Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth said the decision “rewards competence and institutional memory”. Career Path: From Lakes State to National Stage Panther’s media journey began in the dusty streets of Rumbek, where he filed community stories for Radio Rumbek 98 FM…

Breaking Barriers in Juba On a humid afternoon at Juba Stadium, Esther Kide Kute Peace zipped up her tracksuit and joined a cohort of 22 newly certified coaches. She was the only woman. For South Sudanese fans, the moment felt like watching a glass ceiling crack in real time. CAF C Diploma: More Than Paper Award of the CAF C Diploma came after a ten-day workshop led by instructors from FIFA and the South Sudan Football Federation. Sessions blended tactics, nutrition, and anti-doping protocols, underscoring that modern coaching is as much science as instinct. Lifelong Mission of Inclusion Esther remembers…

Presidential Decree Sparks Debate President Salva Kiir’s unexpected decree that removed three senior SPLM-IO lawmakers jolted Juba’s political calendar this week. Observers say the move reshapes the delicate power-sharing architecture sealed in 2018. Civil Society Calls for Inclusive Dialogue Edmund Yakani of CEPO urged all signatories to meet around one table, warning that unresolved rivalries could “push the clock back to 2013” if ignored (CEPO). Legal Nuances Behind Seat Revocations The presidency justified the dismissals by alleging some MPs faced pending legal matters. Constitutional lawyers counter that due process requires parliamentary vetting before seats are declared vacant, a grey zone…

New Centers Boost Western Bahr el Ghazal Farming Two freshly built Farmer Centers and adjacent stores have been formally delivered to communities in Besilia and Kuajiena, marking a milestone for Western Bahr el Ghazal’s push to revive agriculture after years of conflict and climate shocks. Financed by the World Bank’s Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project and executed by FAO, each site carries demonstration plots, water yards, maize mills and sorghum threshers inside a protective fence, turning the compounds into hands-on schools for climate-smart farming. The five-year programme, launched in 2021 with 93 million dollars, operates across fourteen counties. Officials emphasise that…

Tambura Ambush Claims SSPDF Life Western Equatoria authorities have confirmed that an SSPDF patrol was ambushed near Yubu Bridge, five miles from Tambura Town, on Thursday morning. One soldier was killed and two were evacuated to Juba after sustaining gunshot wounds. Eyewitnesses reported brief but intense gunfire echoing across the forested road. Sequence of the Thursday Attack County Commissioner Mathew Mabenge said the patrol was conducting routine security checks before meeting heavy fire allegedly from SPLA-IO units. Moments later, attackers reportedly advanced toward the nearby barracks but were repelled by return fire. The area is now quiet, yet officials describe…

Citizenship-for-Service Strategy in Sudan Khartoum’s transitional authorities are reportedly fast-tracking citizenship for thousands of foreign nationals. Civil monitors say the new passports arrive with uniforms and rifles as fresh recruits bolster the overstretched Sudanese Armed Forces against Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces on urban and desert frontlines. Demographic Stakes at the Contested Border Analysts link the naturalization drive to Abyei and other oil-rich zones straddling Sudan and South Sudan. By swelling voter rolls with loyal newcomers, the government could tip any future referendum on the territory’s status, securing strategic depth and hydrocarbons in one calculated move. Regional Reactions and…

Silent Stream of Returnees to Eastern Equatoria Every dawn, dusty buses and weary walkers reach Kapoeta, turning the market town into an unexpected reception point for South Sudanese escaping the tightening belt of Kakuma. Local officials count as many as 80 arrivals a day, a pace unseen since the 2016 border clashes. Food Aid Cuts Behind Return Decision Returnees interviewed by Eye Radio describe shrinking food rations, intermittent water and classrooms without books inside the Kenyan camp. Most blame recent reductions in donor funding, saying the two-kilogram monthly cereal allotment can no longer stretch through a week. Kapoeta’s Limited Capacity…

China–South Sudan Cultural Diplomacy On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in Juba rewarded 22 budding writers with cash and certificates after a regional contest themed “Chinese Modernization in My Eyes”. The initiative, launched by Chinese missions worldwide, seeks personal stories that connect Beijing’s development journey with local African realities. Contest Highlights Shared Development Vision The competition forms part of a global initiative encouraging non-Chinese citizens to narrate how technological, economic and social gains in China resonate within their own societies. Ambassador Ma Qiang told the ceremony that Beijing’s cooperation with Africa aims at a “just, inclusive and eco-friendly modernization” aligned with…

Sudden Shake-Up at SSBC Juba awoke to fresh headlines early Thursday as President Salva Kiir, in a late-night decree, removed managing director James Magok Chilim from the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation and named seasoned journalist John Madol Panther as successor. State television interrupted programming to read the order, which cited a Council of Ministers recommendation yet omitted timing details. The cabinet itself has not convened publicly for months, fueling speculation over how and where the decision crystallised. Legal Framework Governing Appointments The 2013 Broadcasting Corporation Act assigns the board the power to nominate a managing director by two-thirds vote, followed…