Author: The South Sudan Herald

Mounting Concerns Over GBV In Juba, UN Women Country Representative Delphine Serumaga warned of escalating gender-based violence that stretches from cities to remote cattle camps. She told reporters that persistent gaps in justice, shelter and social norms keep women and girls exposed to harm despite years of advocacy. Gaps in Legal Frameworks Serumaga lamented the absence of a comprehensive GBV bill and called for courts able to hand down consistent sentences. She stressed that legislation must be present, accessible and enforced if survivors are to trust the system. Digital Dimension of Violence The global theme for this year’s 16 Days…

Training Roots and Goals The South Sudan National Police Service has opened a week-long course for Child Protection Focal Point Officers designed to curb child recruitment and other wartime abuses while sharpening crisis response across the force. Backed by the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security, the initiative blends global standards with South Sudan’s legal commitments, promising what organisers describe as “a pragmatic bridge between international norms and realities on the ground”. Local Expertise at the Lectern Unlike earlier foreign-led workshops, this session is facilitated mainly by South Sudanese officers who have patrolled Jonglei’s swamps and Unity’s oilfields; their…

A Turning Point for Health Funding At the National Health Summit in Juba, British Ambassador David Ashley warned that South Sudan’s medical lifeline, financed 85 percent by donors, is fraying under global budget cuts. Speaking for partners like the World Bank and GAVI, he applauded frontline staff yet cautioned that external generosity can no longer substitute for consistent national investment. Donor Reliance Nears Breaking Point Ashley recalled visits to Kator Primary Health Care Centre and Al Sabah Children’s Hospital, where oxygen cylinders, syringes and even fuel were paid for with foreign checks. The United Kingdom alone has channelled more than…

EU funding accelerates Nimule One-Stop Border Post This week TradeMark Africa and UNOPS confirmed a fresh €10 million injection from the European Union for the long-planned Nimule One-Stop Border Post at the Uganda–South Sudan frontier. The grant, part of the South Sudan Trade and Transport Facilitation Programme, seeks to modernise customs processes, shorten clearance times and lower logistical costs for the 200 trucks that traverse Nimule daily. Projected trade gains for East Africa Officials forecast that the new facilities could lift bilateral trade volumes with Uganda by double-digits once construction ends in 2028, reinforcing South Sudan’s integration into the East…

Custom Market Fire Rocks Juba Economy On 1 December, flames swept through Nyakuron’s Custom Market at dusk, consuming rows of shops within minutes. Witnesses described gas cylinders bursting and smoke columns visible across Juba, underscoring the market’s status as a lifeline for small-scale traders. Kiir Commands Swift Investigation President Salva Kiir said he learned of the blaze “with deep sorrow”. He instructed security organs to establish the exact cause and report swiftly. Officials inside State House confirmed that preliminary findings are expected within days, reflecting the urgency attached to the probe. Emergency Support Package Unveiled Kiir tasked ministries of finance…

Historic Kampala Campaign The Bright Star Men’s Blind Football Team left Juba by bus, lacking airfare, yet arrived in Uganda determined. They beat hosts Uganda 3–0 in the opener and Zimbabwe 2–0 in the final, booking a 2028 Las Vegas Paralympic berth and promotion to Africa’s Division One. Training Against The Odds South Sudan lacks a standard blind-football pitch; sessions take place on hired Dr. Biar Field with threadbare boots and balls restitched countless times. Light for the World covers rent, but captain Martin Ladu insists the squad is national property needing state investment, not charitable substitution. Players Speak On…

Transitional Charter’s Lasting Impact Enacted on 5 December 2005 under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Transitional Constitution was conceived as a stop-gap. Two decades later, it still frames governance in the world’s youngest nation, embedding a groundbreaking Bill of Rights and modern institutions. Advocate Deng John Deng recalls its “revolutionary” nature, noting that dignity, equality and freedoms appeared in Sudanese constitutional text for the first time, giving legal force to aspirations that fuelled the 2011 independence vote. Rapid Amendments, Lingering Questions The charter has been amended twelve times since 2011, mainly to accommodate power-sharing deals, new states and rebel integrations.…

JMEC Sounds the Alarm on Security South Sudan’s Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, or JMEC, warns that nationwide security deteriorated sharply between July and September, signalling what it calls a “major decline in security”. Clashes Resurface in Five States The commission’s quarterly report cites violent clashes among signatories of the 2018 peace agreement, disrupting half of the country’s ten states and preventing investigators from reaching some alleged ceasefire-violation sites. Machar Trial Fuels Political Split Legal turmoil deepens the rift. In Juba, Vice-President Riek Machar and supporters face a special tribunal, a move observers say has driven several of his…

Shock Army Reshuffle in Juba Juba was caught off guard late Monday when state television announced the dismissal of General Dau Aturjong after only three months as chief of staff. Without offering a reason, President Salva Kiir quickly reappointed General Paul Nang Majok, who had been removed in July. The rapid reshuffle follows a pattern of shifting top brass that insiders say helps Kiir balance rival command networks formed during the 2013—2018 civil war (security analysts in Juba). Why Reinstall Majok General Majok is respected among older SPLA commanders and is seen as a bridge between factions that trace their…

High-Stakes Opening in Juba South Sudan’s special court opened Monday with suspended First Vice President Riek Machar and seven co-accused standing inside a metal cage before camera lights. It was Machar’s first public appearance since his house arrest in March, and state television carried every moment to homes across the capital. Defense Questions Jurisdiction Lead counsel declared the bench “incompetent,” arguing the tribunal lacks constitutional authority to try a sitting vice president on treason and terrorism counts. He warned that proceeding risks undermining the 2018 revitalized peace agreement that frames the current transitional government. Peace Accord at Center Stage The…