Author: The South Sudan Herald

Presidential decree reshapes Western Bahr el Ghazal leadership Late Monday, President Salva Kiir used a televised decree to remove Governor Emmanuel Primo Okello and install Gen. Sherif Daniel Sherif in Western Bahr el Ghazal. Sherif belongs to a SPLM-IO splinter led by Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol, distancing the office from First Vice President Riek Machar’s camp. Power-sharing clauses under scrutiny The 2018 revitalised deal gives Machar’s movement the right to nominate three state governors, a pillar already weakened by earlier dismissals in Upper Nile and Western Equatoria. With Okello gone, Machar loyalists control no governorships, prompting critics to argue…

Cash scarcity grips commercial banks Long queues now form daily outside Juba’s commercial banks as customers try to withdraw even modest sums. Lawmaker Michael Rout Koryom told colleagues that some civil servants wait days for just fifty thousand pounds, then take loans to feed their families. Legislators echo public frustration Koryom said salaries have been electronically transferred, yet cash remains elusive once accounts reach the counters. MPs questioned why deposits vanish while banks levy withdrawal fees. “When the bank is consuming the little you have, why would I keep my money there?” asked MP Betty Achan Agwaro. Demand for transparency…

Upper Nile Health Drive Gains Momentum A high-level team from South Sudan’s Ministry of Health visited Malakal this week, unveiling intensified actions against four neglected tropical diseases across the Upper Nile region. Officials framed the tour as evidence of government resolve to strengthen community health services. Government Push Targets Four Diseases Undersecretary Anin Ngot Ngot said the campaign focuses on trachoma, lymphatic filariasis, river blindness and bilharzia. He described the effort as a collaborative undertaking involving state authorities, health partners and residents determined to free their counties from preventable suffering. Field Progress in Renk County The latest trachoma impact survey…

Court Appearance in Nimule The municipal court in Nimule, Eastern Equatoria, opened proceedings Monday against eight young men accused of breaching public order, marking the first formal hearing in case 177. Details of Case 177 Inspector Major David Kasmiro told Eye Radio that the suspects had allegedly attacked an immigration officer and intimidated shoppers at local markets in separate incidents last week. No additional arrests were recorded during the ongoing sweep, Kasmiro noted, adding that some suspected accomplices slipped across the Ugandan border while others remained in hiding. Fresh Assault Near Jebel Estate The police chief confirmed a new assault…

South Sudan’s Digital Battleground South Sudan’s digital plazas teem with rumours, memes and altered clips, reshaping politics one swipe at a time. Researchers warn that unchecked virality fuels distrust, stirs ethnic tension and leaves defamed targets vulnerable to real-world harm (local media monitoring reports). Veterans Seek Recognition, Not Likes At Gen. Bior Ajang’s funeral, liberation hero Gen. Garang Mabil implored officials to “remember what we fought for.” His appeal echoed the 2011 Transitional Constitution, which honours martyrs and obliges the state to care for heroes. Online supporters amplified his speech, spotlighting unmet promises. Decoding “Wun Wong Aken Ben” Former presidential…

Eighty Years Since Victory, Memories Resonate Beijing prepares a commemorative parade this September, marking eight decades since the end of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the global fight against fascism. Official rhetoric links the historic victory to an enduring pledge of peace, a message keenly followed across Africa where youthful populations confront their own security dilemmas. China’s Battlefield Toll in Perspective From the 1931 Mukden incident to Japan’s surrender in 1945, Chinese forces endured fourteen arduous years, absorbing over thirty-five million military and civilian casualties. Historians note that more than seventy percent of Japan’s wartime…

A Hospital Under Scrutiny Juba Teaching Hospital, South Sudan’s largest referral facility, has lately drawn intense public scrutiny as social media accusations swirl around maternal deaths and surgical mishaps. Yet on the ground, health workers describe a more nuanced reality, shaped by chronic power outages, scarce consumables and an under-funded workforce. Maternal Care Challenges Official data suggest that up to 789 mothers die for every 100,000 live births in South Sudan, a rate health authorities call alarming (Ministry of Health 2023). Obstetric teams at Juba Teaching Hospital say blood shortages, erratic power and limited drugs remain the leading killers, not…

Civil Society Raises Red Flag Reports reaching Juba suggest self-styled Prophet Makuach Tut is leading dozens of armed youths northward from Jonglei’s Ayod County toward Malakal. Ter Manyang Gatwech of the Center for Peace and Advocacy warns that an unchecked advance could reignite fragile ceasefires across Upper Nile. Government Banks on Negotiation First Governor James Koang Chuol confirms that state officials and army commanders are in daily contact with counterparts in Ayod. Their immediate strategy is persuasion: dispatching relatives and clerics to convince the preacher to reverse course before any shot is fired. Security Forces Prepare Defensive Plan Yet contingency…

New leadership sets peace tone James Al-Taib, freshly appointed governor of Western Equatoria State, used his maiden statement in Juba to urge armed youth to surrender their weapons. He pledged to listen to grievances “with a clean heart and open hands,” promising inclusive dialogue and development incentives. Roots of armed youth grievances Recent years saw localized militias form amid clashes over land, cattle, and political representation, according to civil society monitors. Analysts say frustration with stalled national reforms and limited economic prospects continues to fuel recruitment of restless young men. Faith-driven rhetoric resonates Invoking faith, Al-Taib reminded combatants that humans…

Sudan Pipeline Halted at Heglig At 2:30 a.m. local time, drones struck Heglig Operations Basecamp, damaging the terminal and forcing staff to flee, Sudanese officials confirmed. Heglig channels nearly all of South Sudan’s 110,000 daily barrels through pipelines that end at Port Sudan, making any disruption immediately regional. Drone Attacks Hit Civilian Infrastructure Khartoum attributes the strike to the Rapid Support Forces, stressing that the base is a civilian facility with no troop presence. Acting undersecretary Dr. Fadul Mahmoud called the action “a serious threat to the stability of oil flows,” adding that staff safety can no longer be guaranteed.…