Author: The South Sudan Herald

Justice on Wheels Arrives A senior Supreme Court judge announced a mobile court will sit inside Juba National Prison, targeting the backlog of gender-based violence cases and expediting hearings for survivors and defendants equally, according to remarks collected in the capital this week (Eye Radio). Overcrowding Drives Reform Juba Prison, built for far fewer inmates, now houses thousands, stressing sanitation and security. Officials say the mobile bench should ease congestion by moving stalled files faster and reducing pre-trial detention for low-risk suspects implicated in GBV allegations. Capacity Building Workshop Outcomes Justice Stephen Simon spoke after a three-day judicial training organised…

Juba-Nadapal highway edges closer to border Engineer Peter Atem says Rhino Construction is edging closer to the Kenyan frontier on the pivotal Juba-Nadapal highway, setting a faster rhythm for South Sudan’s post-conflict reintegration. Launch date and current location Launched on 4 September 2025 by the National Ministry of Roads and Bridges, the 410-kilometre corridor is now advancing beyond Labalwa toward Kiyala Payam in Eastern Equatoria State (Eye Radio). Two-month timeline in sight Atem forecasts that, with uninterrupted fuel, graders and compactors could touch the border within two months, a timeline local administrators describe as ambitious yet attainable. Fuel shortages challenge…

Bor Town Ceremony Signals New Chapter Applause echoed through the Jonglei State Secretariat in Bor as Governor Riek Gai Kok swore in a slate of directors, commissioners and advisors on Friday. The governor framed the event as more than a formal rite, describing it as proof of a wider promise to deliver a responsive government. Accountability and Innovation Drive Mandate Addressing the officials, Gai Kok stressed that public office is a solemn trust, not a privilege, urging every appointee to adopt strict accountability and transparent procedures from their first day. He further urged them to pair integrity with creativity, arguing…

Diaspora Voices Target UN Spotlight On 23 September 2025, South Sudanese activists abroad plan a peace rally at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, opposite the United Nations in New York. The South Sudan International Advocacy for Human Rights (SSIAHR) hopes the gathering will channel diaspora energy into diplomatic pressure for an enduring ceasefire. Key Grievances Highlighted Speakers intend to condemn reported air strikes on civilians in Greater Upper Nile and Greater Equatoria, allegedly carried out by the UPDF and SSDF. Detention of opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar and seven colleagues will be cited as emblematic of stalled political dialogue. Organizers Seek Global…

Widespread Floods Hit Five States Nearly 379,154 people across 21 counties and five states are facing relentless floods, the UN humanitarian coordination office reports. Swollen rivers have swallowed homes, forcing families onto fragile patches of higher ground. Unity, Upper Nile, Jonglei, Lakes and Warrap bear the heaviest burden, with entire villages only reachable by canoe. Local authorities say displacement is accelerating as water continues to rise. Food Security Under Threat OCHA assessments indicate more than 9,000 hectares of crops lost in Mayendit alone. Maize fields lie under murky water, leaving households without the harvest that usually bridges the annual lean…

Shrinking News Desks Under Pressure In Juba, editors gathered over breakfast framed an urgent dilemma: South Sudan’s deepening economic crisis is hollowing out its newsrooms. Veteran reporters, once pillars of investigative coverage, are accepting better-paid posts in aid agencies and foreign outlets. Former No. 1 Citizen editor Doga Morris warned that the talent drain has created a leadership vacuum, leaving inexperienced recruits to steer editorial decisions. He traces the tipping point to the expiry of USAID grants that had long shielded local media from market shocks. Training Gap Widens Rural stations feel the pinch first. Salam Radio’s Pout Tot says…

Sparks of Intercommunal Tension in Cueibet At dawn on Monday, youth from Panyar and Ruotruot hamlets in Cueibet traded gunfire after a wedding promise collapsed, leaving five people dead. Local witnesses describe brief but intense bursts of shooting across Tiaptiap and Citcok cattle camps. A sixth casualty followed on Wednesday when, according to lawmaker Mathew Manyot Magar, “a group of Panyar youth staged a revenge raid before withdrawing to Tiaptiap.” Police confirm the figure, noting that several others sustained wounds. Marriage Dowry Dispute at the Core The feud began when a Panyar suitor reclaimed bride-price cattle after the intended Ruotruot…

Special Court Session Scheduled for 22 September A special court convened by South Sudan’s Chief Justice is slated to open at 9:00 a.m. on 22 September in Juba, ushering in the long-anticipated trial of suspended First Vice President Dr Riek Machar and several senior SPLM-IO figures. Indictment Details and Nasir Incident Context Prosecutors have levelled charges of murder, treason, conspiracy, terrorism financing, offences against state authority and crimes against humanity, all linked to March clashes in Nasir County that reportedly killed an SSPDF general alongside hundreds of soldiers. Defence Lawyers Express Readiness Lead defence lawyer Kur Lual Kur told Eye…

Chinese CSR Gesture Reaches Unity State Chinese energy giant CNPC has delivered fresh humanitarian aid to thousands displaced by record floods in Unity State, underscoring Beijing’s growing role in Africa’s disaster response. At the Juba coordination office, Public Relations Director Ren Yongsheng called the gesture a duty of friendship after weeks of logistical planning that moved tents, blankets and medicines from Shanghai docks to the Nile corridor. Inside the Relief Package The convoy contained 35 family tents, 100 blankets, moisture-proof mats, mosquito nets and 400 boxes of antimalarial drugs, items selected with local officials to match the most urgent shelter…

Fresh Cohort Strengthens Uganda’s Mission A dawn parade in Bilnyang, a quiet village near Juba, ended with 48 Ugandan soldiers receiving their certificates after weeks of intensive drills. The ceremony, staged under the equatorial sun, symbolised Uganda’s continuing commitment to stabilising its northern neighbour. Col. Benard R. Kashemeza, commanding the deployed battle group, reminded the graduates that training is “a vital means for building confidence and ensuring the mission is successful”, echoing a long-held UPDF doctrine that readiness begins with the mind as much as with marksmanship. Strategic Context in Bilnyang Uganda expanded its presence in March after renewed tension…