South Sudan In Focus - VOA Africa

South Sudan President Salva Kiir declines to attend the upcoming IGAD summit in Addis Ababa; the United States commits over a billion dollars for famine relief to South Sudan; and a musician from Gbudue State believes social media has diminished the importance of love and family in today’s culture.

Another attack on the Juba-Nimule road claims the lives of fifteen people; hundreds of armed youth formerly allied to the SPLA-IO surrender to the government; and inmates in Juba Central Prison graduate with skills that will help them earn a living and re-enter society.

Unknown gunmen kidnap and brutally murder civilians in the Gimunu area of Yei River State; dozes of staffed nurses at Bor State Hospital walk off the job due to low pay and unpaid salaries; and education officials in Imatong State launch a campaign to encourage drop-outs to return to school.

The former Secretary-General of the SPLM calls for a new and independent political process to end the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan; China donates millions of U.S. dollars in food assistance to South Sudanese living in famine-affected areas; and South Sudanese artists showcase their talents in Juba's first “Made in South Sudan" exhibition.

Gunmen open fire on a vehicle travelling along Juba-Nimule Road, killing one person and injuring three others; a ceasefire takes effect in Yei River State after a peace deal is signed; and international NGOs in Uganda help South Sudanese children who have suffered during the nearly four year conflict.

Contaminated vaccines cause the deaths of fifteen children in Kapoeta State; NGOs in Imatong State protest higher registration fees; and a music producer from Yambio says his Uganda-based studio yields him more profits than in his home country.

President Salva Kiir steps away from his position as “patron” of the national dialogue, leaving the process in the hands of all South Sudanese; displaced refugees go hungry in the Bidibidi settlement camp in Uganda’s West Nile region; and South Sudan’s education minister allows university students to continue their studies in Zimbabwe.

A top South Sudan military official is accused of using his position to accumulate millions of dollars in his personal account; the number of South Sudanese crossing into Sudan surpasses the total number that fled to Sudan last year; and community leaders cite local youth as a major security threat in Imatong State.

The Vatican postpones the Pope’s scheduled trip to South Sudan; a South Sudanese military court begins the trial against soldiers charged during last year’s attack on the Terrain hotel in a Juba; and hundreds of South Sudanese refugees voluntarily leave refugee camps in Uganda.

A South Sudanese politician calls on the South Sudan army to stop fighting what she calls a “senseless war;” UNMISS calls for the arrest of authorities in government and armed opposition forces who have destroyed public infrastructures; and South Sudanese youth find different ways to cope with life in a Ugandan settlement camp.