Author: The South Sudan Herald

Blueprint for a Digital Marketplace South Sudan’s Ministry of Trade and Industry unveiled the nation’s first e-commerce strategy this week in Juba, presenting a roadmap to widen digital access and spur inclusive growth. Empowering MSMEs and Youth Entrepreneurs Officials say the blueprint prioritises micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises through digital marketing training, national online marketplaces, and easier links to African Continental Free Trade Area opportunities. Atong Kuol Manyang Juuk, Minister of Trade and Industry, argued that equipping entrepreneurs with modern tools can ‘unlock the full potential of our people and markets.’ Bridging Infrastructure Gaps High connectivity costs, unstable power and…

A Quiet Diagnosis, A Loud Resolve Marie*, 49, first learned she was HIV-positive in 2009 at a Brazzaville mobile clinic. The news shocked her, yet she quickly chose resilience. “I will not surrender; my children need me,” she recalls, voice steady after years of counselling support. Shifting Donor Winds and Local Realities For sixteen years she has adhered to antiretroviral therapy supplied through the national programme and partners such as PEPFAR. Recent announcements of reduced external envelopes, however, stirred anxiety in waiting rooms across the country. Health economists note that Congo still depends on donors for roughly half of its…

AP Report Sparks Controversy An Associated Press scoop on Tuesday claimed Israel had floated the idea of relocating some Gaza residents to South Sudan, citing six anonymous officials. The report landed amid heightened concern over Gaza’s humanitarian toll, alleging that discussions formed part of a broader Israeli strategy to promote voluntary emigration from the enclave. Juba Issues Firm Rebuttal Less than 24 hours later, South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs labelled the story “baseless”, insisting no talks with Tel Aviv had occurred over Palestinian resettlement. “The government has never entertained such an initiative,” spokesperson Amb. Monday Semaya Kumba told local…

Surge of Returnees Reaches Torit Torit town in Eastern Equatoria woke to an emotional scene this week as 367 South Sudanese stepped off dust-caked trucks and footpaths, ending a gruelling escape from Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp after abrupt food-ration reductions. Local officials confirmed the arrivals on Tuesday and Wednesday, noting that most travelers belonged to categories three and four, the groups whose assistance the World Food Programme suspended in September amid global funding gaps. Perilous 600-Kilometre Walk Returnees recounted walking nearly 600 kilometres from Kakuma through Lokichogio to the Nadapal frontier, scraping water from dry riverbeds and sleeping in thorn…

Flood Alert Across the Nile Basin Sirens have not sounded, yet satellite images already show vast swaths of Jonglei and Upper Nile darkening with water. United Nations teams forecast that 1.6 million people could see their homes submerged between July and October. Many villagers remember 2019’s ankle-deep floods; this season, engineers predict chest-high waters. Some dikes built after independence have collapsed, ushering streams toward Pibor, Bentiu and Wau. Communities Face Food and Water Pressures As cropland disappears beneath murky sheets, the price of a sorghum sack in Bor has doubled in six months. Market vendors report supply trucks stranded on…

Revitalized Peace Agreement under Pressure Signed in 2018, the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan promised power-sharing and security reforms. The fragile accord has delivered relative calm, yet implementation has lagged. Analysts often cite unresolved command structures and delayed elections as key vulnerabilities. Presidential Decrees Redraw the Political Map Late on Wednesday, President Salva Kiir issued decrees removing four senior officials, including First Deputy Speaker Nathaniel Oyet and Deputy Finance Minister Bec George Anyak. Their posts were immediately filled by members of a break-away SPLM-IO faction led by Stephen Par, altering parliamentary arithmetic overnight. Machar’s SPLM-IO…

Sudan Faces Deadliest Cholera Wave Sudan is wrestling with its most severe cholera outbreak in years, tallying nearly 100,000 suspected infections and more than 2,400 deaths since August 2023, according to Médecins Sans Frontières data shared this week. The surge arrives amid nationwide armed clashes that have uprooted millions and damaged water systems, creating fertile ground for water-borne disease even in towns that previously kept cholera at bay. Conflict Compounds Water Shortages Nowhere is the crisis sharper than in Tawila, North Darfur, where the United Nations estimates 380,000 displaced residents survive on roughly three litres of water daily, less than…

A New Chapter for South Sudanese Banking A ceremonial handshake in Abu Dhabi sealed a forward-looking pact between the Bank of South Sudan and the UAE’s central bank this week. The Memorandum of Understanding promises technology transfer, safer payments, and a faster route toward regionally compatible financial services for the world’s youngest nation. Landmark MoU Signals Digital Drive Governor Dr. Addis Ababa Othow and Assistant Governor Saif Humaid Al Dhaheri put pen to paper under the gaze of South Sudan’s Vice-President for the Economic Cluster and UAE Minister of State. Officials framed the accord as a bridge to secure, efficient,…

Historic accord on sovereign currency In Abu Dhabi, governors Khalid Mohammed Balama and Dr Addis Ababa Othow signed a memorandum that hands the UAE’s Omlat security-printing unit responsibility for South Sudan’s new banknotes. Officials described the pact as a “milestone for economic cooperation.” Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan Al Nahyan hailed it as proof the Emirates can “support African resilience” while Vice-President Benjamin Bol Mel called it “a vote of confidence in our reforms.” Tackling hyperinflation pressure The South Sudanese pound has lost more than 40 percent of its value this year, according to the Juba-based Ebony Center for Strategic Studies.…

Conflicting Reports on Gaza Relocation Deal On 13 August 2025, Al Jazeera English reported that Israeli officials were exploring the forcible relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to South Sudan, citing unnamed sources familiar with the negotiations. The Independent offered a similar account, asserting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had reached an advanced stage of talks with Juba over potential resettlement. South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs swiftly denied the story, calling it ‘baseless’ and inconsistent with official policy, yet declined to clarify whether informal discussions had ever taken place. Juba’s Diplomatic Tightrope Since independence, South Sudan has balanced relations…