Author: The South Sudan Herald

Cabinet Returns to Tackle Budget Logjam The Council of Ministers met in Juba on Friday, its first sitting since March, swiftly approving the 7-trillion-pound draft budget for 2025/26 under President Salva Kiir. Observers say the endorsement, though three months late, signals the executive’s intent to restore fiscal normalcy after parliamentarians questioned the government’s silence at the start of the financial year in July. Deficit Plan and Revenue Push Information Minister Michael Makuei revealed a projected 1.5-trillion-pound deficit, adding that the Finance Ministry must intensify domestic revenue mobilisation to bridge the gap. The cabinet scrapped what it called “unnecessary” duty exemptions,…

Mass Defection Signals Shift Nyirol County woke up to a political tremor on Thursday as 2,500 former SPLA-IO soldiers marched into Pading and pledged allegiance to the government camp, marking one of the largest single defections since the 2018 revitalised peace deal. County Commissioner James Bol Makuei confirmed the arrival of a full brigade drawn from five cantonment sites, including Keth and Guer, explaining that the mixed unit of army, police and investigators had ‘chosen unity over rivalry’ after months of quiet negotiations. Witnesses in Pading reported jubilant scenes as the defectors handed over SPLA-IO insignia before raising the national…

Phase One Handed Over to SSCAA The South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority on 14 November formally received the first completed segment of Juba International Airport’s new apron from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Officials hailed the hand-over as a milestone toward a safer, larger and more resilient national gateway. Boosting Capacity at Juba International Airport Phase One enlarges parking space, taxi lines and load-bearing surfaces, enabling the airport to host additional commercial and humanitarian flights during peak hours. Engineers say congestion has long limited schedules; the new concrete pad begins to change that arithmetic in tangible fashion. UNMISS–SSCAA…

Guinea Worm Drive Enters Final Stretch South Sudan’s Ministry of Health and the Carter Center have unveiled a final three-year surveillance blueprint aimed at snuffing out the last vestiges of Guinea worm disease. Health Minister Sarah Cleto Rial confirmed the plan in Juba after meeting Carter Center Vice President Craig Withers, marking what officials call the decisive phase of a two-decade campaign. Funding Challenges Met with Resolve Rial acknowledged that worldwide funding cuts, including reduced USAID support, have squeezed disease-control budgets, yet she stressed that community services will continue untouched. “We will work together to ensure eradication, and we will…

A Timely Appointment Dr Akol Paul Kordit’s elevation to SPLM Secretary-General comes as South Sudan searches for political stability. His nomination, announced in Juba in late February, is seen by party insiders as a rare consensus move designed to curb factional fatigue and ideological drift. Liberation Legacy Versus Governance Demands Since independence in 2011, SPLM has struggled to reconcile its liberation narrative with the practicalities of statecraft. Veterans emphasise historic sacrifice; younger cadres demand jobs and efficient services, creating competing expectations that have eroded internal cohesion. Kordit’s profile bridges this gap. Educated abroad yet seasoned in the bush, he speaks…

Launch Overview Zain South Sudan has rolled out its Sultan Deals campaign, a suite of voice and data offers designed to streamline mobile spending and widen digital access across the country, executives told reporters in Juba on Friday. Voice and Data Bundles The headline Junubi bundles promise unlimited nationwide calls and Zain’s lowest data tariffs, paired with optional Sabahak Zain morning discounts and a favourite-number feature for cheaper minutes, all positioned as “restrictions-free,” according to Chief Commercial Officer Mohamed Mursi. Existing Flex packages receive a 25 percent bonus at no extra cost, convertible across voice, SMS or data, reinforcing the…

Rethinking Post-Graduation Paths Chol Alier Dit, a third-year Agricultural Sciences student at the University of Juba, argues that graduates risk stagnation if they retreat to their villages while waiting for salaried work. Speaking to The Dawn, he described rural life as “comfortable but unchallenging”, warning that routine help from parents can dull urgency and prolong joblessness. Comfort Zone of Village Life Alier believes household support keeps returnees in a childhood role, eroding the ambitions their families financed through years of tuition. He notes that five uneventful years in a village can quietly reset expectations, leaving talented graduates “villagers like them”…

Khartoum Intensifies Lobbying in Washington Sudan’s transitional authorities have intensified their lobbying campaign in Washington after submitting 21 flash drives they say track clandestine arms flows to the Rapid Support Forces, hoping the United States will curb alleged Emirati assistance. During public remarks on 12 November, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Sudan’s humanitarian emergency ‘horrific’ and urged an immediate halt to weapons deliveries, yet he avoided naming the United Arab Emirates, a long-standing American security partner. U.S. Rhetoric and Political Calculations Khartoum interprets that omission as a political calculation. Analysts in the capital argue that bipartisan concern on Capitol…

Security Spike Triggers Staff Reduction A sudden spike in armed clashes across northern Jonglei has pushed Médecins Sans Frontières to temporarily downsize teams in Lankien and Pieri. The humanitarian group says the move is purely precautionary, designed to shield staff while preserving the emergency services on which thousands of rural families depend. Essential Clinics Remain Open Despite the lean staffing, MSF’s outpatient and inpatient wards have stayed functional, offering emergency care, obstetrics, malaria treatment and nutritional support. Field coordinator Amadou Diallo notes, “Closing was never on the table; the community needs us now more than ever.” Heightened Insecurity in Uror…

Peace Accord Facing Critical Deadline On 2 February, Juba and the SPLM/A-IO Kit-Gwang faction endorsed a 12-month peace accord negotiated in Port Sudan. The timeline will elapse in three months, yet signatories acknowledge that key benchmarks remain unmet. Sudanese military mediators and former National Security Service chief Gen. Akec Tong Aleu appended their signatures, hoping to fast-track the integration of Kit-Gwang troops into the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and to appoint Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual deputy commander-in-chief. Kit-Gwang Cites Implementation Gaps Spokesperson Musa Abraham told Radio Tamazuj that not a single clause has moved beyond words. The five-member advance…