Author: The South Sudan Herald

UNMISS withdrawal hits Torit community The United Nations Mission in South Sudan will shut its field office in Torit after December, citing a severe shortfall in global peacekeeping funds. The move comes as the young nation edges toward its inaugural national polls. Acting Deputy Special Representative Anita Kiki Gbeho relayed the decision to Eastern Equatoria Governor Louis Lobong Lojore during a high-level consultative visit on Tuesday. Global Budget Squeeze Ms. Gbeho said peacekeeping budgets have been slashed roughly by half worldwide, making it impossible for UNMISS to maintain all twelve field locations. Torit, once a logistical hub for patrols and…

Dutch–Jonglei Alliance on Flood Resilience A high-level Dutch delegation met Jonglei Governor Dr Riek Gai Kok in Bor on 20 October to review joint flood-resilience programmes and explore fresh support for vulnerable communities. Formal MoU in Sight Led by Karem Busek of VNG International, the team praised progress made since earlier interventions and proposed a formal Memorandum of Understanding to scale up technical assistance and financing for early warning systems. Consistent Support Since Liberation Era Governor Kok welcomed the initiative, noting that Dutch backing has been consistent ‘from the liberation era up to today’ and confirming state readiness to align…

Record Nile Floods Displace Thousands Relentless rains and swollen branches of the White Nile are inundating vast tracts of South Sudanese land. OCHA estimates 927,182 people across 26 counties have been touched by water since July, with Jonglei and Unity States alone carrying more than nine-tenths of the burden (OCHA, Oct. 2023). Education and Health Services at Risk Schoolyards are turning into shallow lakes. UNICEF counts at least 61 flooded schools, keeping over 22,000 pupils and 700 teachers from classrooms across five states. Damaged clinics report medicine shortages, while impassable roads delay vaccination teams amid periodic cholera alerts (UNICEF, 2023).…

Youth-Led Wave Redefines Gender Norms Songs, slogans and street debates now fill Rumbek’s dusty lanes as teenagers spotlight child marriage’s cost. The Rumbek Youth and Sport Association launched #TitKoRot, meaning “Let us protect ourselves”, to place girls’ rights at the centre of public conversation (RYSA, 2025). Nonviolent Civic Action Gains Momentum Four rotating forums in Rumbek Centre, East and Wulu convene 800 youths. Boys and girls dissect dowry pressures, poverty drivers and personal choice, guided by elders and officials committed to dialogue over confrontation. Organisers stress that peaceful advocacy cements community trust. Laws and Learning Reinforce Protection Participants study the…

Escalating Signs of Conflict in Jonglei State Rumblings of fresh violence are echoing across Jonglei State, as reports of armed youth movements filter in from rural fishing islands. Community leaders warn that the rivalry between Duk and Twic East counties, once dormant, could flare again at short notice. INTREPID South Sudan Raises Early Alarm INTREPID South Sudan’s executive director, Bol Deng Bol, described the pattern of incidents as “a warning trend.” In a statement, he said social media chatter and cluster meetings reveal large-scale mobilisations able to tip the dispute into outright combat. Call for Neutral Deployment at Bioth-Agany The…

Global Forum Sets the Stage From Rome’s packed Global Food Forum, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Hussein Abdelbagi Akol framed South Sudan’s agricultural future. Surrounded by world leaders, his delegation argued that robust farms, not oil, can anchor a diversified economy and steady rural incomes across the nascent nation. Bolder Investment Vision Back in Juba, Akol outlined a USD 288 million proposal designed to entice blended public-private finance. The package promises cold chains, feeder roads and research grants, aiming to lift yields, cut post-harvest losses and place South Sudan on investors’ agricultural radar for the first time. Focus on Sorghum,…

High-Stakes Trial in Juba Beneath the glare of Juba’s special court, prosecutors have spent weeks tracing the violent March 2025 seizure of Nasir garrison to suspended First Vice President Riek Machar. Monday’s twelfth hearing added fresh detail, yet the defense insists the narrative remains stitched together with speculative threads. Court Hears Investigator Testimony Lead investigator Maj. Gen. Basilio Thomas Wani told judges that Machar personally approved county teams which later mobilised the White Army militia against South Sudan People’s Defence Forces positions in Nasir and Ulang, Upper Nile. His chronology frames the SPLM-IO leader as the operation’s political and military…

Why Citizenship Rules Matter Today Calls for transparency in Juba have intensified as foreign nationals seek South Sudanese papers. The Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Immigration, led by Major General Elia Costa Faustino, recently outlined the only three lawful gateways to citizenship, aiming to calm public anxiety. Citizenship by Birth: Rights and Procedures Automatic citizenship applies where both parents are South Sudanese. The law equally protects a child born to a South Sudanese mother and a foreign father, but applicants must satisfy an eligibility committee through sworn court declarations, family interviews and background checks before a nationality certificate is printed.…

Youth Appeal Reverberates in Juba In Juba, representatives of Greater Tonj youth publicly asked President Salva Kiir to free Gen. Akol Koor Kuch, the former Internal Security Bureau director disarmed and confined last November. They framed the request as a call for unity and respect for legal processes. Timeline of Detention and Dismissal Security units surrounded Koor’s Nabari residence in October 2024, days after his return from medical treatment in the United Arab Emirates. By mid-November he had been relieved of his spy post, named governor of Warrap, and then sidelined, remaining under guarded house arrest. Rights Concerns Shadow the…

Health Reform Project Gains Momentum in South Sudan On Saturday, Undersecretary of Health Dr. Kennedy Ganniko briefed officials and partners on the Health Sector Transformation Project, a flagship government program designed to modernize clinics, expand services, and lift public health indicators nationwide (Eye Radio). Call for Unified Front Among Stakeholders Dr. Ganniko stressed that fragmented efforts weaken results. He urged national departments, international donors, and frontline workers to synchronize plans, share data, and speak with one voice to confront funding gaps, infrastructure deficits, and service shortfalls. Project Management Unit at the Helm The Ministry’s Project Management Unit monitors every activity…