South Sudan In Focus - VOA Africa

Today’s top stories: South Sudan’s information minister says the government is not responsible for last month's disappearance of two South Sudanese men in Kenya; church leaders in Yei River States accuse the government of blocking roads and trapping citizens in their villages; and the Kiir administration calls on oil companies to return to the former Unity State and resume oil production.

Today’s top stories: Four civilians are killed by unknown gunmen in Jubek State; a new study reveals the main cause of land conflict in Africa is competition for natural resources; and a U.N. human rights official asks for more than 250 million dollars to help stop the spread of discrimination around the world.

Today’s top stories: A new confidential U.N. report says the war in South Sudan has reached “catastrophic proportions for civilians”; authorities in Juba have difficulty cracking down on black-market dealers; and actor Forest Whitaker calls on South Sudan’s warring parties to end the fighting and implement the 2015 peace agreement.

A South Sudanese human rights activist and legal expert says the chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission has failed to persuade the warring parties in the country to stop fighting, humanitarian organizations operating in South Sudan are appealing for 1.6 billion U-S dollars to help people across the country and Yei River state officials offer free education.

Today’s top stories: A top general in the South Sudan army accuses President Salva Kiir of turning the SPLA into a tribal army that works against the interests of the nation; more than three thousand civilians are displaced from their villages in Kwarjin County after cattle keepers attack the area; and South Sudanese journalists commemorate World Radio Day and appeal to the government to allow freedom of speech.

Today’s top stories: Violence in parts of South Sudan cause organizations to halt humanitarian aid operations; some women in Juba welcome President Salva Kiir’s order to kill convicted rapists; and youth activists call on South Sudanese civilians to unify and heal social and ethnic divisions caused by war.

Today’s top stories: A top U.N. official advises the Kiir administration to include the opposition in next month’s national dialogue; South Sudan’s finance minister asks donor communities to help stabilize the economy; and lawmakers work to build trust between political leaders in Sudan and South Sudan.

Today’s top stories: A team of U.N. peacekeepers arrive in Kajo Keji to assess the needs of civilians who remain in the area; the head of JMEC says renewed fighting in areas of South Sudan violates the ceasefire agreement; and officials in Northern Cameroon reinforce local self-defense groups to aid the military in the fight against Boko Haram.

President Salva Kiir says the national dialogue he announced late last year will start early next month, a former advisor to President Kiir says the proposed national dialogue will not achieve its desired effect and South Sudanese writes a new book.

Today’s top stories: President Salva Kiir visits Yei Town despite reports of rampant insecurity; students in Sudan put travel plans on hold until U.S. lawmakers work out the legality of President Trump’s travel ban; and South Sudanese graduates from Ugandan universities and colleges say they prefer to remain in Uganda rather than return to their homeland.