Author: The South Sudan Herald

Election Day in Financial Hub Juba’s financial district hosted an unusually spirited gathering on Tuesday, as the South Sudan Football Federation summoned delegates to decide its next leader. Profiles of the Two Contenders Incumbent Augustino Maduot Parek, credited with steadying league operations, squares off against former chairman Francis Amin Michael, who promises faster youth development and corporate partnerships. How the Ballot Is Run Thirty-eight accredited voters from sixteen local associations, the women’s committee, referees and coaches were verified by 9 a.m., each handed a sealed ballot and reminded of strict one-member, one-vote rules. Eyes of the World on Juba Observers…

Rising Voice from Upper Nile University At a dusty cattle camp near Malakal, fifth-year veterinary student Acirin Madong pauses beside shuffling bulls and speaks calmly. He urges herders to see vaccines as shields, not threats, a message he repeats during outreach tours organised by Upper Nile University and local authorities. His campaign counters a belief, common across South Sudan, that injections shrink milk yields or cause sudden deaths. ‘Evidence shows the opposite,’ he tells The Dawn, referencing recent field trials. Science Behind the Syringe Vaccines stimulate antibodies, creating herd immunity that blocks killer infections like contagious bovine pleuropneumonia and East…

Civil Society Alliance Raises Alarm on Peace Delay The South Sudan Civil Society Alliance has urged signatories to the 2018 revitalised peace agreement to clear outstanding tasks before the extended timetable collapses. Deputy chairperson Dabek Mabior told reporters in Juba that dialogue, not recrimination, is the only path to unlock the stalled provisions and reassure a restless public. Funding Security Arrangements Remains Critical Mabior called on the transitional government to release funds for the long-promised unification of forces, noting that integrated command structures would calm flashpoints and build voter confidence ahead of elections. He equally appealed for budget lines to…

Nationwide MCV2 Launch Strengthens Immunity South Sudan formally introduced the second dose of the Measles-Containing Vaccine, MCV2, into its routine schedule on 12 August 2025. The step positions the nation as the 45th in Africa to adopt the two-shot regimen recommended by the World Health Organization. Health Minister Sarah Cleto highlighted the stakes, noting that nearly nine in ten counties remain at high risk for outbreaks. “Adding MCV2 significantly fortifies our children’s defences,” she told reporters, pledging fixed-post, outreach and mobile services to push coverage. Recurrent Outbreaks Underscore Urgency A 2025 risk assessment showed low routine coverage and surveillance gaps…

South Sudan-UAE MoU Signals Digital Leap Last week in Abu Dhabi, the Bank of South Sudan and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to build a secure national switch for card payments and to accelerate digital banking services across the world’s youngest nation. “The pact foresees faster transactions, broader inclusion and training for our bankers,” Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel told reporters after witnessing the ceremony in Juba. Shared Gains for Central African Markets Analysts in Brazzaville note that a modern switch in Juba can reduce cross-border settlement delays with neighbouring Congo…

Tense calm returns to Abyei trading hub Rain clouds hung low over Rumamer on Monday, yet shopkeepers opened early, greeting buyers with sorghum sacks and goat herds. The scene contrasted sharply with Thursday’s gunfire that left five people dead and three nursing bullet wounds. Local officials blame armed youth believed to have crossed from Unity State’s Mayom County, a corridor repeatedly flagged by security reports for unchecked movements of rifles and cattle. Eyewitness accounts deepen community concerns Rumamer County Commissioner Lual Chol told this magazine, “There is calm today, but criminals exploited the eastern corridor and struck Mading Jook Thiang.”…

Presidential Decree Elevates Seasoned Journalist Viewers across South Sudan learned on Thursday evening that President Salva Kiir had named John Madol Panther as managing director of the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, replacing James Magok Chilim Chok after seven years at the helm. According to the presidential decree, the move followed a unanimous recommendation from SSBC’s board of directors. Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth said the decision “rewards competence and institutional memory”. Career Path: From Lakes State to National Stage Panther’s media journey began in the dusty streets of Rumbek, where he filed community stories for Radio Rumbek 98 FM…

Breaking Barriers in Juba On a humid afternoon at Juba Stadium, Esther Kide Kute Peace zipped up her tracksuit and joined a cohort of 22 newly certified coaches. She was the only woman. For South Sudanese fans, the moment felt like watching a glass ceiling crack in real time. CAF C Diploma: More Than Paper Award of the CAF C Diploma came after a ten-day workshop led by instructors from FIFA and the South Sudan Football Federation. Sessions blended tactics, nutrition, and anti-doping protocols, underscoring that modern coaching is as much science as instinct. Lifelong Mission of Inclusion Esther remembers…

Presidential Decree Sparks Debate President Salva Kiir’s unexpected decree that removed three senior SPLM-IO lawmakers jolted Juba’s political calendar this week. Observers say the move reshapes the delicate power-sharing architecture sealed in 2018. Civil Society Calls for Inclusive Dialogue Edmund Yakani of CEPO urged all signatories to meet around one table, warning that unresolved rivalries could “push the clock back to 2013” if ignored (CEPO). Legal Nuances Behind Seat Revocations The presidency justified the dismissals by alleging some MPs faced pending legal matters. Constitutional lawyers counter that due process requires parliamentary vetting before seats are declared vacant, a grey zone…

New Centers Boost Western Bahr el Ghazal Farming Two freshly built Farmer Centers and adjacent stores have been formally delivered to communities in Besilia and Kuajiena, marking a milestone for Western Bahr el Ghazal’s push to revive agriculture after years of conflict and climate shocks. Financed by the World Bank’s Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project and executed by FAO, each site carries demonstration plots, water yards, maize mills and sorghum threshers inside a protective fence, turning the compounds into hands-on schools for climate-smart farming. The five-year programme, launched in 2021 with 93 million dollars, operates across fourteen counties. Officials emphasise that…