Author: The South Sudan Herald

Emerging Voices at Juba Youth Forum Over two days in Juba, more than fifty young delegates from four South Sudanese states convened to chart a collective vision for peace, inclusion, and opportunity at the Inclusive Youth Forum hosted by SIHA Network and supported by the UN Peacebuilding Fund. Participants urged state institutions and partners to accelerate youth representation in decision-making, pass stalled social bills, and invest in skills programmes, arguing that meaningful inclusion can de-escalate insecurity and displacement. Spotlight on Inclusive Governance Youth delegates highlighted the Youth and Sports Bill, Student Welfare Fund, Family Law Bill, and Anti-GBV Bill as…

High-Stakes Exams Under Scrutiny Secondary-school candidates across South Sudan sit for the national Certificate of Secondary Education on 1 December 2025. As exam day nears, the hunt for leaked papers—locally dubbed machot—intensifies, signalling a long-running challenge for educators and policymakers. Officials warn that unchecked cheating erodes public confidence in an already fragile education system struggling to serve a post-conflict population eager for stability and opportunity. Impact on Meritocracy and Skills Merit-based assessment is designed to reward diligence and curiosity. When collusion, impersonation or paper leaks skew results, honest learners are sidelined and the message becomes bleak: integrity yields less than…

Artists urge copyright reform in Juba A coalition of singers, producers and poets gathered in Juba this weekend, pleading for a copyright bill that has lingered in draft form for over a decade. Without it, they argue, South Sudan’s creative economy remains exposed to unchecked piracy and commercial misuse. Hip-hop artist Meen Mabior Meen, known as Manimen, told reporters: “For more than ten years our work has been vulnerable to theft.” He says a robust, enforceable law is essential to restore dignity, confidence and motivation among emerging talents across the country. Piracy drains artistic income Industry advocates warn that the…

Street Clean-Up Operation Begins Before dawn on Saturday, Juba City Council vehicles rolled into Customs and Konyo-Konyo, dismantling makeshift stalls that had narrowed the capital’s busiest arteries. The sweep marks the most assertive bid in months to restore order, reduce traffic snarls and upgrade sanitation along the vital corridor linking Juba Port to the airport. Safety First, Says Mayor Mayor Christopher Sarafino Wani Swaka framed the exercise as a life-saving measure rather than a crackdown, noting that vendors had spilled onto tarmac used by speeding minibuses. “Protection of lives and property sits at the top of our mandate,” he told…

A Fragile Calm Settles Over Baliet County Commissioner Joseph Deng says villages are quiet again after the mid-November assault that shocked Upper Nile. He reports most families have re-entered their homesteads, though Adong Payam, the attack’s epicentre, still shows hesitant returns. Eyewitness Accounts of 14 November Assault Local monitors recall armed men advancing from several directions at dawn, striking Adong Payam around 5:30 a.m. Official tallies cite roughly 70 fatalities and 65 injured, 29 of them critical, in what residents describe as a coordinated raid launched from neighbouring Ulang County. Security Strategy Reinforced Deng asserts that a joint security committee…

Power-Sharing Tensions Resurface in Yambio A sudden overhaul in Western Equatoria’s local administration has reopened delicate debates over South Sudan’s 2018 Revitalised Agreement. SPLM-IO officials in Yambio argue the changes undermine the power-sharing balance that has kept relative calm in the once-volatile state. The Contested Reshuffle Governor Alfred Futuyo’s decree, issued 27 November, appointed SPLM-IG member Fozia Abbas Barnaba Bangasu as Yambio mayor and dismissed 17 director-generals across ministries. Deputy Governor Justin Joseph Marona, also interim SPLM-IO chair, says no prior consultations occurred, breaching Article 1.9 of the accord. Legal Questions Over Procedure Marona contends that super-scale grade-one posts require…

Daily Hurdles on Juba Streets People with disabilities in South Sudan say everyday travel can feel hazardous, citing potholes, faded signs and vehicles occupying sidewalks. Limited public awareness of disability rights, advocates warn, turns ordinary trips to school, clinics or offices into tests of courage. Voices from Physical Disability Community Seme Lado Michael from the Union of Physical Disability Centre recalls a wheelchair user struck while crawling across a busy lane, the driver initially denying the victim’s humanity. He argues that traffic regulations omit disability clauses; cooperation with the police, he insists, could save lives by restoring clear signage and…

Tension After Sudden Expulsion Threat Police in Unity State confirmed on Saturday the arrest of Youth Union chairperson Tang Gatgong and former relief official Paulino Kueh Mawich. The pair allegedly authored letters ordering the United Nations Office for Project Services to quit Leer County within 72 hours. Officials Stress Lack of Authorization Brigadier General Samuel Machul said Gatgong issued the ultimatum without clearance from the acting county commissioner. He added that using ‘threatening words’ against aid groups violates public order and risks undermining the delicate humanitarian lifeline serving flood-hit communities. Separate Letter Fuels Police Action Acting commissioner Kueth Latjor explained…

UN Gives Green Light to 28 December Ballot After four days in Bangui, UN peace chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said security gains create a ‘narrow window’ for credible nationwide elections on 28 December. His meetings with government, opposition and civic leaders produced cautious optimism without ignoring the country’s persistent volatility. Weapon Surrenders Boost Confidence in Provinces Minusca reports that more than 1,000 fighters laid down arms in 2020, a figure Lacroix called ‘evidence the peace deal is biting’. State officials have since returned to prefectures once run by militias, opening polling stations and easing food deliveries along newly secure roads. Lean…

Viral Claims Ignite Online Storm Social media lit up this week with photos and voice notes alleging a secret delivery of cement and cash to Bar-Mayen, hometown of Northern Bahr El Ghazal Governor Simon Ober Mawut. Screenshots spread fast across Facebook and WhatsApp groups. The posts claimed a truck laden with construction material and bags stuffed with dollars arrived in the village after dark last Thursday, escorted by security forces loyal to the governor. Government Issues Firm Rebuttal Acting Information Minister Bol Akuar Gamar branded the allegations ‘false, malicious, and politically motivated’ during a Thursday press briefing in Aweil. He…