Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan’s government sacked a dozen judges who had been on strike for the past two months, the country’s information minister told AFP on Thursday. “The president yesterday issued an order relieving some of the judges,” Michael Makuei said, without explaining the reasons for …
Read More »US pledges additional $62.7million to help Uganda’s refugee operations
Kampala, Uganda – The United States has once again demonstrated its ongoing commitment to providing life-saving assistance to those affected by conflict worldwide with a pledge of nearly $639 million in additional humanitarian assistance. Upon the conclusion of the G20 summit in Germany, and following the June 23 …
Read More »South Sudan’s independence: nothing to celebrate in 2017
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | BY MERESSA K DESSU | ISS TODAY| For a second time, South Sudan won’t be celebrating its 9 July anniversary of independence. The government announced the cancellation of festivities due to a lack of funding and the country’s ongoing conflict. Indeed, six years after liberation, South Sudan’s humanitarian …
Read More »Machar rebuffs call to join South Sudan national dialogue
Riek Machar, the chairman and commander in chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and Army SPLMA/SPLA (IO) has rebuffed a call to join the ongoing South Sudan National Dialogue. The South Sudan opposition leader said focus should be on ending the war, through a mediated peace process. He said …
Read More »South Sudan cancels independence day celebrations
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation gripped by civil war, has cancelled its official independence day celebrations for the second year running. “We are not celebrating… because our situation does not require us to celebrate at a time when there are people in need …
Read More »LIVE: Solidarity Summit on Refugees hosted by Uganda
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & AFP| Uganda on Friday co-hosted a summit with UN to raise $2 billion to cover estimated cost of managing a refugee influx from South Sudan. The summit got a boost on Thursday when the EU pledged 85 million euros ($95 million) to Uganda but UN chief …
Read More »EU pledges $95m to Uganda for South Sudan refugees
Arua, Uganda | Michael O’Hagan | AFP | The EU pledged 85 million euros ($95 million) to Uganda on Thursday as UN chief Antonio Guterres urged donors to give 20 times that amount to help the country deal with nearly one million refugees from South Sudan. Guterres visited a refugee …
Read More »Q&A: Uganda’s refugee minister seeks solidarity in first-of-its-kind summit
Kampala, Uganda | AMY FALLON| devex.com| As a former refugee in Kenya, Musa Francis Ecweru often reflects on the generosity of his once-host nation. Today, as Uganda’s state minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees, he sits on the other side of the table, managing his country’s reception in the world’s fastest …
Read More »Pope sends funds to hunger-struck S.Sudan
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis is supporting a series of aid projects in South Sudan, the Vatican said Wednesday, sending money in his place after a trip to the war-torn country was ruled out. The Vatican will donate 462,000 euros ($515,000), which will be divided among …
Read More »Full stalls, empty markets as South Sudan’s economy crumbles
Aweil, South Sudan | AFP | “I sell the small bottle of cooking oil for 140 SSP. Six months ago, it was 70. The customers complain,” said James Deng, an 18-year-old stallholder in Aweil, South Sudan. In this regional market in the country’s northwest — just as at the main …
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