Author: The South Sudan Herald

Alarming Numbers at Aweil Hospital Doctors at Aweil Civil Hospital report 68 Hepatitis E patients since 2023, with 13 fatalities, including three women and children last week. The steep climb, highlighted by focal officer Luka Lual Aleu Jok, has put the northern Bahr el Ghazal town on epidemiological alert. How the Virus Travels Hepatitis E transmits mainly through water or food laced with human waste, but under-cooked meat and transfused blood can also seed infection. Crowded settlements that lack piped water in Northern Bahr el Ghazal create fertile ground for the virus to move quietly from household to household. Hospital…

Mobile Money Frustration in Aweil East In Wanyjok, the commercial centre of Aweil East County, residents queue at kiosks, phones in hand, only to leave without their hard-earned transfers. The MTN MoMo wallet, once sold as a lifeline for the unbanked, now holds stranded shillings that cannot be exchanged for banknotes. Liquidity Shortage at Agent Level Local agent Luol Deng says chronic cash scarcity begins upstream, where commercial banks report dwindling reserves from the Central Bank. “There is not enough money in circulation,” he told this magazine, adding that agents protect limited liquidity by suspending large withdrawals. With commissions fixed…

Rule of Law Debate Intensifies Deng-bil William Aguer, leader of the African People’s Congress, believes South Sudan’s future hinges on a clear, predictable judiciary. Speaking in Juba, he argued that legal certainty underpins economic growth and social cohesion. He recalled regional traditions of communal forgiveness yet warned that modern crime waves demand firmer responses. “Balance without accountability risks paralysis,” he said, urging lawmakers to modernise legislation without eroding cultural values. Machar Trial as Litmus Test The ongoing High Court case pitting First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny against the SPLM-IG is, to Aguer, “a textbook chance to prove no…

Sharp Decline in Road Mishaps A sudden pause has descended on Juba’s streets after the Traffic Directorate suspended its high-profile crackdown on unlicensed vehicles. Officials say the operation produced a clear payoff: fewer collisions and visibly higher compliance across rickshaw, motorcycle and car drivers. Officials cited ‘few accidents’ during the week-long drive, a trend they judge significant in a city where road chaos often fuels public concern. Directorate Explains Policy Shift “I decided to stop the traffic crackdown until further notice,” General Kon told state television, noting that drivers now queue voluntarily for licence renewal. He argued the temporary victory…

Faith Leaders Urged to Guide South Sudan Standing before Stone International Church in Juba, Senior Presidential Advisor Adut Salva Kiir asked pastors to confront, in her words, “demonic powers” weakening South Sudan’s cohesion. She argued that clergy once dominated moral debate and should again shape the nation’s conscience during flooding, conflict and political fatigue. Spiritual Framing of Political Strains Linking multiple crises to a spiritual battle, Adut warned that material policy alone cannot overcome deepening mistrust. “We are dealing with strife, floods, war and divisive politics,” she said, insisting that sustained prayer can “lead us out.” Call for Unity Beyond…

Late-Day Attack on Busy Trade Route Police in Western Bahr el Ghazal confirm that a Land Cruiser carrying passengers and goods from Wau to Juba came under fire Friday evening on the Wau-Tonj road, wounding two women. Eyewitness Details and Immediate Casualties State police spokesperson Major Santino Udul Mayen reports that gunmen described as SPLA-IO loyalists under Major General Bol Wek opened a sudden volley, striking one victim in the back and another across the right-hand fingers. Hospital Response and Ongoing Investigation Both survivors reached Wau Teaching Hospital, where doctors say their conditions are stable after emergency surgery; meanwhile detectives…

Rising Tensions for Advocacy Leader Ter Manyang Gatwech, head of the Center for Peace and Advocacy, says South Sudan’s security services are preparing an arrest order in retaliation for his outspoken criticism of government spending and human rights practices. Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, he cited a confidential tip from within the National Security Service that a signature could authorise his detention at any moment. Mounting Pressure on Civil Society in Juba Gatwech reports persistent late-night calls tracking his whereabouts, describing them as part of a wider intimidation campaign against activists, journalists and human-rights defenders. He maintains he is no outlaw,…

Living Among Tombstones in Juba At sunset, small fires flicker between gravestones in Hai Malakal cemetery, children weave through headstones while laundry dries on marble slabs; the graveyard has evolved into an unlikely neighbourhood alive with routine. For more than 9,000 displaced, widowed or impoverished residents, cemeteries across Juba offer a last refuge after conflict, evictions and soaring rents stripped them of conventional housing, turning burial grounds into makeshift dormitories. Roots of Juba’s Housing Crisis Years of armed conflict swelled the capital’s population while infrastructure investment lagged, creating a mismatch between demand and supply of affordable dwellings. A single room…

Historic appointment reshapes Anglican leadership The Church of England made global headlines by naming Dame Sarah Mullally, 63, as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. The former chief nurse becomes the first woman to hold the communion’s senior post, ending a year-long vacancy after Justin Welby’s resignation. South Sudanese Anglicans voice doctrinal caution Archbishop Justin Badi Arama of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan acknowledged the milestone yet labelled the new leadership ‘unbiblical and unorthodox’ because of Mullally’s open support for blessing same-sex couples, restating his province’s commitment to traditional teachings on marriage. Global South Fellowship stance remains firm In a…

Improved Security Draws Families Home Relative calm across Nasir County has encouraged displaced families to leave Ethiopia and other parts of South Sudan and return home, according to County Commissioner James Gatwech Jok. Officials estimate thousands have resettled in Nasir town, quickly stretching modest reserves of grain and cooking oil as households rebuild their lives. Supply Chains Struggle to Reach Nasir Town While the World Food Programme has air-dropped rations to remote payams, no recent shipment has reached the densely populated town itself. Gatwech notes that barges scheduled to navigate the Sobat River remain delayed, leaving storehouses in the county…