Author: The South Sudan Herald

UN Address Highlights Progress Claims Addressing the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Vice-President Josephine Joseph Lagu Yanga painted an encouraging picture of South Sudan, telling diplomats the 2018 peace accord is 60 percent implemented and has ushered in relative calm, voluntary returns and a record 40 percent female representation in government. Analyst Disputes Peace Metrics Juba-based policy analyst Boboya James Edmond argued the figures were overly optimistic, warning that sporadic clashes from Upper Nile to Western Equatoria continue to disrupt daily life and undermine confidence in the fragile transitional administration. Debate Over Women’s Representation While Lagu celebrated surpassing the 35…

Opening of a Charged Trial Monday’s nationally broadcast hearing in Juba placed former vice-president Riek Machar behind a steel enclosure, marking his first public appearance since March house arrest and opening a treason case that could reshape South Sudan’s fragile political equilibrium. Charges Outline and Historical Context Prosecutors link Machar to an assault on a government garrison earlier in the year, a flashpoint in the uneasy 2018 peace accord that ended a war claiming roughly 400,000 lives. They add allegations of murder, terrorism, conspiracy and crimes against humanity. Defence’s Jurisdiction Challenge Lead counsel Gar Nhial contended that the High Court…

Tragic Discovery in Juba Juba awoke to disquieting news on 26 September after police recovered the body of Atoc Angam Lang, daughter of South Sudan’s Deputy Speaker, from a hotel swimming pool. Witnesses at the riverside hotel reported routine evening activity before authorities cordoned off the area shortly after midnight. Family Keeps Composure Relatives gathered at the family home in Juba, balancing grief with calls for patience. Deputy Speaker Mary Ayen has yet to issue a public statement, focusing on funeral arrangements and cooperating with detectives. Investigation Gains Momentum Aunt, Hon. Adual Bol, told Eye Radio, “I will not give…

Floodwaters Push a Town to the Brink Season after season, sheets of water have crept across Pibor, swallowing streets, markets and the airstrip. Minister of Information Jacob Werchum admits the low-lying settlement is now “highly flood-prone,” a reality reinforced by downpours that pounded the Greater Pibor Administrative Area on 27 September 2025. Officials Outline a Upland Vision Werchum says the regional cabinet has “a plan to move people to the high ground permanently,” though surveys will wait for the coming dry spell (Eye Radio, 27 Sept 2025). Engineers are expected to map ridges north of the current site, searching for…

Late-Night Rescue in Gogrial East Residents of Gogrial East, Warrap State, heard faint cries from an abandoned latrine shortly after sunset on 25 September 2025. After hours of digging, volunteers and police lifted a newborn boy from the three-metre cavity, astonishingly still breathing. Deputy Executive Director Mapal Mayen told Eye Radio that the child’s 30-year-old mother had initially denied giving birth, prompting the community to fan out with torches and ropes until past midnight. Police Investigation Underway Local officers arrested the woman moments after the rescue. Warrap State police say both mother and child are in custody at Gogrial town…

Wunrok Robbery Empties Trader’s Safe Heavy rain masked the sound of blades cutting tin as a gang slipped into Sudanese trader Musa Sadik’s shop in Wunrok, Twic County. Within minutes, they bolted with more than three million South Sudanese Pounds and a visitor’s bag. Police Inspector Atem Deng Atem said Sadik fought back, injuring at least one assailant before the group vanished into the downpour. Officers now scour clinics for anyone seeking treatment for fresh head wounds. Pregnant Woman Hurt in Malek-Alel Assault Roughly 250 kilometers north-west, in Malek-Alel, another nighttime break-in escalated when a pregnant woman resisted looters. County…

Backdrop to Bentiu Protest Peaceful march on 25 Sept 2025 inside Bentiu’s Protection of Civilians site pressed for the immediate release of First Vice-President Riek Machar and seven co-accused facing treason and murder charges. Demonstrators also demanded full execution of the 2018 peace agreement, withdrawal of Ugandan troops, and swift creation of a hybrid court to probe wartime atrocities. Education Sector Faces Fallout Hours after the rally, Unity State’s education director Stephen Mayiel signed an order suspending 24 headteachers indefinitely, effective immediately. The decree does not cite the protest, yet many parents and staff see a clear connection, pointing to…

Global Cholera Landscape 2025 From January to August 2025, cholera infected nearly 463,000 people and claimed almost 5,900 lives across 32 countries, according to WHO Situation Report 30. The Eastern Mediterranean registered the highest toll, with Africa following closely in both cases and deaths. No infections were recorded in Europe during the period, highlighting the enduring disparities in water safety and sanitation between continents that still frame the disease’s reach. Numbers Behind the Headlines August alone saw 57,215 new cases and 758 deaths worldwide, marking month-on-month declines of 16% and 22% respectively. Epidemiologists caution, however, that a single month’s dip…

Safeguarding Momentum in South Sudan In Wau, senior staff of the Catholic Diocese have completed three days of intensive training on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. Supported by Mozerio and partner agencies, the workshop underlined the ethical duty of faith institutions to create safe, dignified spaces for every beneficiary. Training Focus and Takeaways Sessions covered legal frameworks, survivor-centred approaches, transparent reporting and inclusive policy drafting. Department heads from education, health, social services and pastoral work exchanged case studies and discussed how to weave accountability into daily routines, echoing international safeguarding benchmarks. Voices from the Workshop Participant representative Sherihan Sediq…

Presidential Order Lowers Power Costs South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, speaking on state television, instructed Juba Electricity Distribution Company to slash tariffs, saying affordable power must accompany investor confidence respected in the existing 100-megawatt public-private partnership. New Tariff Scale for Households and Firms Homes consuming under 100 kilowatt-hours a month will now pay 27.3 US cents per kWh, down from 30.3. Usage above that ceiling drops to 28.5 cents. Commercial, industrial and government brackets received parallel reductions. Connection fees and monthly service charges were trimmed, a move authorities argue will accelerate first-time hookups across the rapidly growing capital. JEDCO Ownership…