South Sudan In Focus - VOA Africa

A south Sudanese army general forms a new rebel group; government troops and rebels loyal to Riek Machar fight in the former Unity state, and authorities in Maridi state create a special police unit to fight rampant gender based violence.

Traditional chiefs work to reduce the widespread practice of child marriages in South Sudan; a resolution reinstates teachers in Jonglei State who were dismissed last year for protesting poor working conditions and low pay; and female police and correctional officers receive certificates in English literacy and computer science from Kampala University's Juba Study Center.

The U.N.’s South Sudan Humanitarian Coordinator says unhindered access to people in need remains a challenge; officials say nearly 20,000 people forced to flee camps in Kajo Keji are at risk of dying from hunger; and a South Sudanese student studying in Harare shares his thoughts on Robert Mugabe’s resignation.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe resigns; school enrollment improves in parts of South Sudan; and chronic drug shortages in Bor prevent patients from receiving adequate health care.

Women in Yei River State who have been victims of sexual violence say it is nearly impossible to bring perpetrators to justice; a new report by UNICEF paints a bleak picture concerning the future of children living in conflict countries, including South Sudan; and the President of Sudan plans his first official trip to Moscow.

President Salva Kiir assures Catholic bishops from Sudan and South Sudan that he is committed to achieving peace in South Sudan; the leader of the SPLM former political detainees says his group will continue working for peace in South Sudan; and a pastor’s nonprofit foundation helps South Sudanese refugees in Cairo become self-reliant.

A top U.N. official praises the Kiir administration for peacefully resolving its stand-off with former Army Chief of Staff Paul Malong; the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations holds top South Sudanese leaders accountable for the country’s conflict; and participants in national dialogue consultations say both President Salva Kiir and former First Vice President Riek Machar are not serious about achieving lasting peace in South Sudan.

A surprise resignation of a Supreme Court justice underscores the need for reform in South Sudan’s judiciary; a new labor law protects South Sudanese workers in the public and private sectors; and South Sudanese interest group participants hope the national dialogue process will help identify the root cause of the South Sudan conflict.

A South Sudanese Supreme Court justice steps down from his post; human rights activists call on Ugandan officials to arrest Sudan President Omar al-Bashir; and doctors in Bor discourage mothers from the widespread practice of extracting the teeth of their small children.

The Kiir administration withdraws troops and tanks that were deployed around the home of former Army Chief General Paul Malong; the Anglican bishop of the Wau dioceses says the actions of President Kiir and his military generals are the cause of suffering across South Sudan; and hundreds of South Sudanese graduates receive their degrees from a U.S.-based Nation-2-Nation Christian University in Juba.