Many women in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state are breaking gender roles and have learned brick making to support their families and reduce dependence on their husbands. Matia Samuel Timatio reports for VOA from Yambio.

Some Sudanese refugees at Bulukat Transit Center in Malakal say they lost family members on their way to South Sudan. The refugees also have lost contact with other relatives in Sudan and worry about their fate. Mamer Abraham Kuot has more from Malakal.

The Mundari people of South Sudan are known for their pastoral lifestyle. Advocates for the community say their distinctive practices, especially their work with cattle are a vital aspect of the world's cultural heritage. Unfortunately, this way of life is facing significant threats from climate change, conflict and the trend toward modernization. Sheila Ponnie reports from Terekeka County, Central Equatoria state.

Sudanese American Juba businessman Manyang Reath Kher comes to Washington to attend the Trump inaugural and shares his experience and takeaways for his country with host Carol Van Dam.

On today's South Sudan in Focus, female brick makers in Western Equatoria state break gender barriers, Sudanese refugees at Bulukat Transit Center in Malakal say they've lost ones on their way to South Sudan, and rescuers says the RSF killed several Sudanese civilians at a displacement camp. Join host Carol Van Dam for these stories and more on South Sudan in Focus.

Sudanese business owners in Juba are calling on the South Sudanese government to provide them with security once they reopen their shops. Many shops closed after an angry mob attacked and looted goods in the country late last week. Denis Logonyi reports from Juba.

South Sudan in Focus airs at 7:30 pm in Juba (1630 UTC) and can be heard on FM stations throughout South Sudan, on shortwave, and on VOA’s 24-hour channel in Nairobi at 8:30 pm. The program is hosted by John Tanza in Washington D.C., and a network of reporters around South Sudan and in Washington.

South Sudan’s government has demanded a response from the Khartoum government after reports that Sudan’s armed forces killed South Sudanese civilians in the town of Wad Madani. Sheila Ponnie reports from Juba, South Sudan.

The Israeli security cabinet votes to approve the Gaza ceasefire deal, but it has yet to be approved by the full Israeli government. Edmund Ghareeb, a Lebanese-American scholar at Washington Institute for Peace and Development talks to VOA's Carol Van Dam about what comes next in Gaza.

The U.S. has sanctioned Sudanese Army leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan after doing the same earlier with the head of the RSF. VOA's Carol Van Dam asked Cameron Hudson, senior fellow in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies for his thoughts on the Biden Administration policy toward Sudan.