Author: The South Sudan Herald

Fresh Force on Patrol One hundred recruits marched across Bor’s parade ground, completing eight weeks of tactical and ecological training designed by the Ministry of Wildlife, Tourism and Conservation. Their deployment will triple ranger presence in hotspots where giraffe, tiang and antelope migrations intersect with expanding human settlements. Balancing Community Needs Governor Dr. Riek Gai Kok reminded spectators that wildlife is part of South Sudan’s post-conflict economic asset portfolio, capable of generating jobs through tourism if protected. He acknowledged, however, that food insecurity pushes some residents toward subsistence hunting, especially when the Sudd wetlands recede during the dry months. Regional…

Young Innovators Target Plastic Pollution In Juba, a three-day DIY Science Camp has introduced South Sudanese and French youths to the art of turning discarded plastic into marketable items, blending chemistry basics with digital modelling software (The Dawn, 28 November 2025). Organisers note that 98 percent of plastic consumed in South Sudan is mismanaged, choking drainage channels and clouding the Nile, making youth-led solutions an environmental and public-health priority. Skill-Building Through Practical Science Participants sorted everyday waste, conducted density tests in salt water, oil and ethanol, and classified samples as PET, HDPE, LDPE, PVC or PP before melting them into…

Growing focus on mental wellness In Juba this week, health officials, aid agencies and entrepreneurs met to discuss what they call an “urgent but promising” mental-health moment for South Sudan. Delegates praised the transitional government for stepping forward after years of conflict-related trauma. Partners hail government drive Patrick Arama, mental-health manager at the International Rescue Committee, said government and partners are “working diligently to scale up services,” noting incremental gains in case detection and counselling reach. Mental Health Strategy 2025-2029 Director Akoc Aduk of Rival Wellness Center outlined the new Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Strategy for 2025-2029, calling it…

Floods Deepen Hunger in Unity State Seasonal floods have turned Rubkona’s grasslands into vast pools, cutting farms from families and pushing residents toward humanitarian rations. The 2025 IPC analysis warned that acute malnutrition in Unity had crossed crisis lines, with Guit, Rubkona and Mayiendit counties topping emergency charts. Hospital Program Becomes Lifeline At Bentiu Hospital, a coalition of the State Ministry of Health, UNICEF and World Relief delivers therapeutic food, antibiotics and counseling around the clock. Young mothers say they arrive with frail children and leave with toddlers eager to stand; the ward’s bright peanut-paste sachets now symbolize survival. Mothers…

Illicit Gold Streams Costing Millions Fresh investigations estimate that at least USD 270 million in South Sudanese gold and billions from Sudan bypass official channels every year, travelling along secretive corridors toward Dubai and evaporating from national ledgers (SWISSAID, 2025). Invisible Exports from South Sudan Official export registers list almost no gold, yet the Ministry of Mining concedes that all production exits informally, with an estimated five tonnes leaving yearly, largely bound for the UAE, despite UN Comtrade showing imports worth just USD 27 million in 2023 (UN Comtrade, 2024). Uncompetitive state prices push artisanal miners toward foreign buyers offering…

Hotel Coalition Returns to EACJ Thirty-two South Sudanese hotels have sued the government at the East African Court of Justice, claiming a promised US$60 million remains unpaid. The Arusha-based court has given Juba forty-five days to answer, reviving a quarrel many thought ended with an out-of-court pact last year (Radio Tamazuj). How the Debt Accrued After the 2018 peace agreement, the National Transitional Committee lodged army officers and negotiators in Juba hotels. Bills snowballed as peace talks dragged on, and by early 2021 several establishments cut electricity or evicted guests to limit mounting losses (Radio Tamazuj). July 2025 Settlement Terms…

Historic One-Day Approval In an accelerated move, South Sudan’s Transitional National Legislative Assembly adopted the East African Community Treaty Bill, 2025, in a single sitting on Thursday, signalling rare parliamentary urgency just days before the bloc’s Ordinary Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. The bill passed unanimously, with Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba framing the vote as a “strategic necessity” to ensure Juba arrives in Nairobi with full legal alignment to partner states. Standard multi-day debates were compressed into hours under emergency procedural rules. Redefining Partner States Legislators updated the treaty’s text to list all current EAC members, including the Democratic Republic of…

Arrest Details in Juba Michael Christopher, editor of Arabic daily Al-Watan, is currently held inside a National Security Service compound by the Nile in Juba, according to a family envoy. Authorities seized him on Wednesday evening, but no official charge sheet has reached relatives. Relatives said they still did not know where the arrest took place, only that he had spent the day at home before disappearing (family representative). Legal and Constitutional Context Civil society lawyers argue that the operation conflicts with articles 24 and 25 of the transitional constitution, which guarantee free expression and press independence. Activist Ter Manyang…

Peace Accord at a Crossroads Five years after the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, momentum is dwindling. Elections, once slated for 2024, now eye 2026, while observers warn that critical security and constitutional milestones remain overdue. Funding and Political Will under Spotlight During a consultative dialogue convened by Community Empowerment for Progress Organization in Juba, the Coalition of Other Political Parties blamed stalled implementation mainly on lack of political will, uneven funding, and what it called a breakdown in cohesion among signatories. OPP representatives highlighted Chapter Two of the accord, which…

Floodwaters cripple local clinics In Rubkona County, relentless flooding has erased roads, submerged villages and swept away the modest health posts that once anchored community life. With drug stocks spoiled and buildings uninhabitable, simple fevers now threaten lives, especially for expectant mothers and children. Endurance journeys for antenatal care Twenty-one-year-old Nyandeng Nancy leaves Kaljak before dawn, wading through mud for two days to reach the temporary Nyaldiu Mobile PHCC. She recalls, ‘There is no medication at home, so I walk,’ lowering herself onto a bench, feet swollen yet thankful she arrived in time for a prenatal check. Battling illness on…