Author: The South Sudan Herald

CTSAMVM Highlights Accountability Role Speaking in Juba at a workshop for the 16 Days of Activism, Colonel Gunnar Gabrielsen outlined how the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism, or CTSAMVM, tracks incidents of sexual and gender-based violence and submits data to relevant authorities. He reaffirmed the mission’s legal mandate under Chapter Two of the 2018 Peace Agreement, stressing that systematic monitoring helps deter abuses and supports survivor-centred justice. Stakeholders Urged to Shift Social Norms Gabrielsen called on government ministries, civil society, youth networks, local chiefs and the business community to ‘speak with one voice’ against violence, arguing…

Blaze Engulfs Custom Market at Peak Season Flames tore through Juba’s busiest marketplace on Monday, spreading in minutes across zinc-roofed stalls crammed for Christmas sales. Witnesses say narrow alleys and flammable materials turned a spark into an unstoppable inferno, destroying entire blocks before firefighters could arrive. Thousands of Shops, Billions in Goods Lost The Chamber of Commerce counts more than 3,000 stalls reduced to ashes. Traders estimate aggregate losses in the trillions of South Sudanese pounds, noting that seasonal inventories of clothing, electronics and food had just been purchased, magnifying the financial shock. Women Bear the Heaviest Economic Burden Women…

Unmet Development Drives Insecurity Scarce basic services and stalled development are fuelling renewed violence across Warrap State, Governor Bol Wek Agoth told an audience in Kuajok after returning from medical treatment abroad. He argued that communities who sacrificed livestock and labour during South Sudan’s liberation now clash over the very resources they expected to gain, deepening mistrust between clans. Communities Fight Over Vanishing Resources Tensions between Luanyjang and Anei-Atak, once described as peaceful neighbours, have erupted as water points, grazing land and trade routes grow scarce. “Our people fought a just war,” the governor said. “They offered bulls and everything…

Inherited Legitimacy Meets Modern Demands The ceremonial hand-over placed the Madan at the helm of the Pari age-set system, a post rotated roughly every 15 years. Elder Thomas Ijok noted, “People trust the age-set before any politician, so its word carries weight.” That reservoir of trust is now a development asset. Unlike distant state offices, the wegi-pac structure governs by proximity. The Madan therefore confront a dual expectation: safeguard ancestral norms while addressing challenges—guns, floods, malnutrition—that previous generations never faced. Balancing continuity and change defines their early agenda. Tackling Insecurity First Decades of conflict have littered Lafon County with small…

Early life and Red Army years Born in late 1978 in Makuac Athian, Aweil East, Benjamin Bol Mel joined thousands of children heading to Ethiopian camps after the SPLM/SPLA revolt in 1983. Labelled the Red Army by Dr. John Garang, the youngsters received basic schooling amid conflict, a formative experience that still colors Bol’s narrative. Education across Uganda and Kenya Fleeing Ethiopia’s upheaval in 1991, Bol reached Uganda under the care of businesswoman Lanyero Christine Awany, completing primary and secondary certificates across Gulu, Moroto and Mbale by 2000. He soon entered United States International University–Africa in Nairobi on church sponsorship,…

Machar Trial Session Delayed The special court hearing for suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and seven co-accused opened on Monday with a routine roll call, but proceedings quickly stalled. Illness Disrupts Judicial Panel Presiding Judge James Alala announced that the panel was incomplete because Judge Stephen Simon was absent, undergoing treatment for an undisclosed illness. Alala promptly postponed the session to Wednesday, 10 December, stating, “The court is now adjourned.” Cross-Examination Put on Hold The delay interrupted the planned cross-examination of the prosecution’s first witness, a Major in the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces. Defence lawyers confirmed all…

Government Suspends New Mining Licenses On 30 October 2025, Mining Minister Martin Gama Abucha ordered an immediate suspension of new Exploration and Small-Scale Mining Licenses in Western Bahr el Ghazal, effective 1 November (Sudans Post). The ministry says the pause will stay in place until reliable geological data becomes available and overlapping claims can be avoided. Geological Survey Set for January 2026 Preparatory teams are already mobilised for a national geological survey scheduled to launch in Western Bahr el Ghazal on 28 January 2026. Officials describe the exercise as South Sudan’s most ambitious effort yet to map its mineral wealth…

Visibility March Captures Juba’s Attention In Juba, people with disabilities led a vibrant march, flanked by the national police band, turning the usually busy Airport Road into a canvas of banners and rhythmic drums that announced the International Day of Persons with Disabilities to onlookers across the capital. Theme Underscores Legal Commitments This year’s theme, “Fostering Disability-Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress,” resonated strongly after South Sudan ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which binds the state to guarantee equal rights, accessibility, and participation for every citizen. Advocates Call for Breaking Barriers “We must create…

Security agencies urged to act South Sudan’s Ministry of Mining has ordered the National Security Service and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces to mount a joint operation against unauthorised diggers in the Jebel Iraq–Kulipapa corridor, after clashes that killed four miners this week. Tensions simmer at goldfields Eyewitnesses say violence erupted when soldiers tried to expel artisanal crews perceived to be occupying lucrative veins, allegedly to clear ground for foreign investors. The confrontation, the second in two months, left three more miners wounded and deepened mistrust between troops and residents. Undersecretary Matiok Santino Akuei led an inspection in September…

Adut Kiirs Second Visit Strengthens Support Returning to Gieda Orphanage on Wednesday, Senior Presidential Envoy Adut Kiir Mayardit reaffirmed her dedication to vulnerable youngsters. A delegation led by Albino Kueth delivered the message, echoing what he called the envoys “continued solidarity” with children lacking parental support. Aid Package: Food and Essential Bedding The team off-loaded 200 bags of assorted foodstuff, 60 steel beds, 100 mattresses and 100 cotton sheets. Staff said the new supplies immediately replaced worn bedding and replenished a pantry that, according to caretakers, had been stretched by soaring market prices. Children of Fallen Soldiers in Spotlight Kueth…