Author: Maggie Fick

“So far in southern Sudan we don’t have ruling parties. Who voted for these people [who currently lead the Government of Southern Sudan]?” asked a representative of an opposition party at a political parties’ summit organized by the African Union in Juba this week ...

I don’t think I was the only person in Juba who attended the ruling National Congress Party’s rally to kick off President Omar al-Bashir’s three-day campaign tour of the South simply because I was curious ...

Juba was abuzz (and slightly on edge) yesterday with the arrival of President Omar al-Bashir, who is making an extremely rare three-day tour of Juba and several towns in Central and Eastern Equatoria states. Candidates in Sudan's April elections are out in full force ...

Several major civilian disarmament campaigns in southern Sudan since the 2005 signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement have gone badly. Major human rights violations regularly occur when the army forcibly attempts to remove weapons from the hands of civilians who fear leaving their security up to soldiers who they perceive as either incapable or unwilling to protect them. 2010 has started out especially violently ...

In addition to my work as an analyst in southern Sudan, I like to impart stories about everyday life in Sudan, since elections, violence, and political agreements are just some of the elements of the reality of life for southern Sudanese people and for foreigners like me living in the country ...

Here's a new music video by southern Sudanese singer Mary Boyoi about Sudan's April elections. The title of the song, 'Elections Jai,' means 'elections are coming' in Juba Arabic ...

With less than a year left to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended more than two decades of war between Sudan’s North and South, U.S. senators this week expressed their concern about all that’s left to work out – more than five years in to the peace agreement’s six-and-a half year interim period ...

Although the spokesperson for the Secretary-General has recently made clear that Ban Ki-moon’s widely discussed remarks were inaccurately recorded, the response in southern Sudan to these comments helps to highlight the widespread sentiments in southern Sudan about the right of the southern Sudanese people—and them alone—to decide their future ...

“It’s come to my mind that it’s me who will apply what I’ve learned. It’s our citizens who will need to have a great knowledge in democratic principles in order to avoid confusion and conflict during the elections,” said Malual Joseph, a 22-year old civil society activist ...

Speaking to Enough this week in Juba, Yasir Arman, the SPLM’s recently-announced candidate for Sudan’s upcoming presidential elections, had a clear message for the people of Sudan and the international community: "Sudan is passing a critical year – the end game of Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The National Congress Party does not mean business." ...