South Sudan In Focus - VOA Africa

The daughter of a retired South African senior military officer says her father has been held by South Sudan’s national security for one year despite several attempts to secure his release; a United Nations agency reports South Sudan is one of the most violent places in the world for aid workers; and insecurity in Imatong State prevents aid agencies from helping farmers produce food and end persistent food shortages.

On the two year anniversary of the 2015 peace agreement, civil society activists say violence has increased since the deal was signed; the number of South Sudanese refugees now living in Uganda reaches one million; and a research analyst explains why ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa will increase the number of internally displaced people in South Sudan.

Foreign diplomats in South Sudan call on warring parties to stop the fighting and lay down their guns; farmers in Imatong State find a way to prevent the fall army worm from destroying their crops; and South Sudanese refugees receive vocational training in Northern Uganda’s Adjumani District.

South Sudanese civil society groups ask IGAD to include all warring parties in efforts to revitalize the 2015 peace agreement; economic analysts urge South Sudanese lawmakers to adhere to government budgets and maintain fiscal discipline; and Kenyans await reaction from the opposition following accusations that the election was rigged.

South Sudan lawmakers stop debate over next year’s budget after government ministers fail to show up; teachers walk off the job and shut down schools in Imatong State; and South Sudanese youth say lasting peace will only be achieved if young people take part in peace-building efforts.

Officials urge Kenyans to remain calm as results of nationwide elections are verified; the government of South Sudan releases more than thirty political prisoners, and insists all political detainees have been freed; and inmates in Bor Central Prison say they live in horrible conditions and are denied basic human rights.

Germany’s foreign minister urges leaders in South Sudan to use peaceful means in resolving the ongoing conflict; poor harvests in Uganda’s Kiryandongo settlement dash the hopes of South Sudanese refugees who want to become self-reliant though farming; and panelists at the United States Institute of Peace discuss the role of youth-led peace initiatives in areas of conflict.

Kenyans are urged to not accept election results because they have not yet been verified by the electoral commission; Kenyans living in Juba express their disappointment for not taking part in general elections back home; and chronic fuel shortages in South Sudan prevent daily newspapers from going to print for the second straight day.

Voters stand in long lines and cast their ballots in the hotly contested Kenyan elections; a wave of inter-communal fighting leaves more than forty people dead in Gok State; and Jonglei State teachers who receive monetary incentives show improvement in the classroom.

The wife of former South Sudan army chief General Paul Malong Awan says he has been placed under house arrest by President Salva Kiir; South Sudan government forces surround Pagak and plan to retake control of the town; and South Sudanese youth urge the government to include young people in their effort to revitalize the 2015 peace agreement.