Author: The South Sudan Herald

Government Puts Schools at Heart of Recovery South Sudan’s education ministry says new classrooms, safe latrines and learning materials top its 2024 budget, reflecting a drive to rebuild schools scarred by conflict. Undersecretary Kachuol Mabil Piok told reporters the pledge keeps education at the heart of national recovery and offers a tangible dividend of peace. Rising Enrollment and Literacy Data Officials say enrollment has climbed in Upper Nile and Jonglei states after temporary classrooms opened with donor support, nudging nationwide literacy rates upward for the first time in five years. Piok credited community-led school management committees for protecting girls from…

Diplomatic Channels With Addis Ababa South Sudan’s foreign ministry says it is finalising paperwork for the return of 27 young cattle herders detained at Muzan Prison in Addis Ababa. The group crossed from Eastern Equatoria into Ethiopian grazing land, reportedly armed, before being arrested by local security units. Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Apuk Ayuel Mayen told journalists that the embassy in Addis Ababa is “negotiating modalities for their release and safe passage”. No timeline was provided, yet officials insist discussions follow established bilateral and regional legal frameworks that govern border incidents involving civilians. Border Pastoralism and Arrests Informal trans-boundary grazing is…

Land Act Awareness Initiative A two-day workshop in Abyei Administrative Area introduced villagers to key articles of South Sudan’s 2009 Land Act. Officials say understanding the text is essential as survey teams prepare maps that will shape housing, roads and health facilities. Community Ownership Clarified Article 7 affirms that land belongs to communities, yet must be managed in the public interest. Information Minister Yuohna Akol noted that some residents equated ownership with total autonomy, fuelling boundary disputes and unplanned construction across several counties. Government’s Planning Mandate Akol stressed that orderly layouts allow authorities to deliver clinics, schools and markets. “People…

Rising Call for Responsibility In a candid radio interview from Juba, former Lainya County Commissioner Emmanuel Khamis warned that leaders who sponsor armed factions invite conflict to their own homes. His remarks resonated across a nation still healing from years of violence. Khamis insisted that responsible leadership begins with refusing to harbour ‘outlawed elements’, arguing that genuine authority protects civilians rather than bargaining with guns. Political Accountability in Focus The ex-commissioner lamented a pattern in which officials remain silent while in office yet decry government once dismissed. ‘A leader must also accept being led,’ he said, urging politicians to view…

Fatal House Blaze Shocks Wau Residents Wau town woke to tragic news on Thursday after an overnight fire destroyed a thatched home in Khor-Mudir, taking the lives of 86-year-old Philip Mathok Bol and 75-year-old Nafisa Loj, according to state police. Maj. Santino Odul, the regional police spokesperson, reported that flames were detected around 11:30 p.m., engulfing the grass-roofed structure within minutes and preventing neighbours from intervening. Emergency Response and Investigation Efforts A police patrol and community volunteers reached the scene after midnight, but thick smoke and collapsing beams limited rescue attempts; officers transferred the victims’ remains to Wau Teaching Hospital…

A Quiet Morning Turns Violent in Woroworo At 08:00, farmer Pasquali Lopeyok, 38, was watering crops in Woroworo when two rifle shots cracked the silence. Witnesses say bullets struck his head and waist, leaving him dead on the soil he farmed for years. County officials allege the assailants crossed overnight from Lolianga in neighbouring Torit County, resting in Lofi before moving at dawn. The suspects chased Lopeyok after an initial missed shot, confirming, authorities say, a calculated mission rather than a chance encounter. Footprints Lead to Lolianga, Authorities Say Unarmed village youths trailed footprints and cartridge casings through the hills…

Stakeholders reconvene in Juba In Juba this week, signatories to South Sudan’s Revitalized Agreement gathered for a two-day retreat, striving to revive a deal stalled since 2018. The forum, brokered by the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization and supported by UNMISS, included clergy, scholars, youth, women and business leaders who jointly issued a communique pledging an “inclusive, South Sudanese-led political dialogue” to break the impasse. CEPO’s blueprint for inclusive dialogue CEPO Executive Director Edmund Yakani framed the move as a chance to “nurture a South Sudanese-driven, inclusive political dialogue” capable of restoring trust among rival signatories. Yakani said bilateral meetings…

Early Morning Ambush Near Maridi At about 5 a.m., gunfire echoed across Monubu village, eight miles from Maridi town, as armed men believed to be SPLA-IO stormed a recently built SSPDF barracks. Local officials later confirmed seven government soldiers dead and one wounded in the surprise assault that shattered a brief lull in Western Equatoria state. Local Leadership Condemns Renewed Violence Maridi County Commissioner Alfred Mirri denounced the attack, stressing that, ‘This country needs peace, and fighting will not bring development.’ He urged anyone with grievances to pursue dialogue rather than arms. Security Patrol Caught Unprepared Executive director John Ezikia…

Deepening Rift inside SPLA-IO Leadership Western Bahr el Ghazal felt after Oyet issued an order promoting Maj. Gen. Joseph Benson Ufo to first lieutenant general and reinstating him as commander of Division 6A. Within hours, the veteran officer publicly discarded the decree, labelling it “politically motivated” and disruptive to regional stability. Commander Cites Procedural Irregularities Speaking from Wau, Ufo argued that genuine promotions must originate at SPLA-IO headquarters through standard channels. “This one came from the market,” he scoffed, insisting professional soldiers should not be drawn into factional schemes that, in his view, jeopardise the 2018 peace spirit. Appeal to…

A Ten-Year Vision for Stabilization In Juba on 10 September, South Sudan’s cabinet unveiled the South Sudan Development Plan 2026–2036, promising a decade of structured reforms aimed at economic recovery, peace consolidation and green growth. Finance Ministry Sets the Tone Finance and Planning Minister Athian Diing Athian called the launch “a pivotal moment”, insisting the blueprint must be inclusive, data-driven and transparent to transform living standards. He underlined shared responsibility, arguing that execution, risk management and feedback loops will decide success. Priorities: Diversification and Resilience Officials say lessons from previous strategies push the new plan toward oil-beyond-oil diversification, rural agriculture,…