Author: The South Sudan Herald

Remembering the 2013 Self-Determination Vote On 31 October, the Abyei Area Administration will shutter offices across the territory, turning the day into a symbolic pause. The closure commemorates the 2013 referendum in which the Ngok Dinka chose, by reported 99 percent, to align with South Sudan (Eye Radio). Holiday Logistics and Scope Information Minister Yohanna Akol confirmed that government ministries, UN agencies, and private firms will suspend operations. He described the directive as inclusive, stressing that “no desk will stay open, because reflection involves everyone” (Eye Radio). Civil Society Leads Celebrations Unlike previous anniversaries steered by officials, this year’s program…

Crime Concerns in Torit Residents of Torit, Eastern Equatoria, have endorsed a youth-run policing project after a day-long public dialogue moderated by the Support Peace Initiative and Development Organisation, SPIDO. The scheme aims to stem a recent uptick in street robberies, rape cases and gang intimidation reported across Torit County. Building Community Policing Framework Under the plan, volunteer patrols of vetted youths will roam neighbourhoods and arterial roads, particularly at night, to deter offenders and report incidents directly to police. Those caught robbing travellers face detention in Torit prison, while suspects in sexual violence will be handed to prosecutors without…

Statewide Firearms Sweep Acting Information Minister William Koji Kerjok told reporters in Rumbek that security units have begun collecting civilian weapons in Wulu, Cueibet, Rumbek East and other hubs. Koji declined to disclose early figures, stressing that numbers would be shared once the multistage operation ends and verification is complete. Red-Line on Guns in Towns Koji reiterated that carrying firearms inside urban areas is strictly forbidden. He warned that youthful cattle herders who enter markets armed risk immediate arrest and prosecution under state law. Targeting Illegal Alcohol Alongside the weapons sweep, forces are seizing and destroying homemade spirits already outlawed…

Capacity programme aligns ministries around service goals More than forty senior officials assembled in Juba this week for an intensive capacity-building course designed to sharpen coordination, planning and delivery within key South Sudanese institutions. IOM and University of Juba champion local ownership The International Organization for Migration partnered with the University of Juba’s School of Public Service to ensure the initiative remains anchored in domestic expertise, underpinning the Government’s Enhancing Community Resilience and Local Governance Project Phase II. Training modules target finance, projects and resilience Sessions cover budgeting, financial planning and project management—areas highlighted by the 2024 Technical Capacity Needs…

Nighttime gunfire rattles Rumbek A patrol turned tense in Rumbek Town late Tuesday as security forces exchanged fire with a column of armed youth. Authorities say the group tried to cross the urban perimeter despite standing orders barring weapons inside the Lakes State capital. Authorities defend patrol strategy Acting Information Minister William Koji described the youths as numerous and potentially intent on revenge or a cattle raid, threats the patrol sought to deter. Koji pledged that the shooters would be tracked, arrested and disarmed, underscoring the state’s zero-tolerance stance on illegal weapons. Hospital response underscores civilian toll Caught in the…

Security meeting in Juba Central Equatoria’s security committee, chaired by Governor Rabi Mujung Emmanuel, met in Rajaf on 28 October to review fresh reports of Ugandan troops inside Kajo-Keji. State Minister Leon Abe Brown later told journalists that the Uganda People’s Defence Force had entered South Sudanese farmland without coordination, unsettling residents preparing for cultivation. Call for Immediate Withdrawal Brown appealed to Kampala to pull its soldiers back across the border, arguing that their presence hinders displaced families from returning and violates the principle of territorial sovereignty. He said the harvest season offered a fragile chance for recovery, and claimed…

Lawmakers Assess Progress at Yambio Hospital A delegation from the Western Equatoria State parliament toured Yambio Hospital on Tuesday, checking whether last year’s recommendations had been met. Caucus leader Rafael Anthony Azaro noted slight gains yet flagged lingering drug gaps, staff shortages and salary arrears, promising a prompt report to the assembly and governor. Administration’s Daily Struggle for Supplies Hospital administrator John Peter Sangara detailed daily hurdles: shelves running low on antibiotics, nurses juggling double shifts and a generator that flickers during peak hours. “Our staff keep showing up despite months of delayed incentives,” Sangara said, stressing that inconsistent supplies…

Bird Swarms Devour Upper Nile Sorghum Across Manyo County in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, millions of red-billed quelea sweep over sorghum plots, stripping grain heads within minutes and leaving stalks bare. Farmers report the birds arrived in dense waves shortly after germination, synchronising their appetite with the crop’s most vulnerable stage. Sorghum is the county’s dietary backbone and a hard-won cash earner; its decimation reverberates through household budgets and local markets. Flooded Fields Hamper Any Rescue The bird invasion coincides with the third consecutive season of flash floods, which have waterlogged fields, swept away bunds, and cut off farm…

Military Decree on Machetes The South Sudanese Chief of Defence Forces, General Paul Nang, has outlawed carrying machetes, locally called pangas, throughout Juba. He warns that anyone found with one without clear justification will face arrest and prosecution. Showcase of Seized Firearms Nang spoke during an exhibition where security agencies displayed more than 200 firearms collected in a recent citywide sweep. The display served as visual evidence of ongoing efforts to rid residential areas of lethal objects. Zero Tolerance Strategy Explained Calling machetes “the biggest security threat in the city,” the general instructed forces to treat violators as criminals intent…

UNDP Leads Transformational Leadership Workshop More than twenty women from Wau and Jur River counties wrapped up a two-day course in transformational leadership and peacebuilding on Wednesday, organisers confirmed. The session, hosted by UNDP with Juba University’s Institute for Transformation Leadership, sought to equip emerging female leaders with practical tools for conflict analysis and early-warning. Participants Craft Community Action Plans Facilitator Lucia Bassa said the trainees designed work plans tailored to local realities, integrating prevention of gender-based abuses with advocacy strategies. By mapping hotspots and communication channels, attendees rehearsed how to alert authorities before disputes escalate, a process one participant…