A Growing Chorus in South Sudan: “Unity Has Not Been Made Attractive”
A powerful statement issued a couple of weeks ago by the Episcopal Church of Sudan is worth highlighting for the palpable frustration it conveys.
South Sudan VP: Talks Over Referendum, Elections Progressing
South Sudan Vice President Riek Machar has returned to Juba after 12 days of negotiations in Khartoum with the North’s Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, and he reports that they’re making progress. According to Machar, who was quoted in the Sudan Tribune, the two sides have come closer to agreeing on the required turnout for the referendum.
Fresh Attacks in South Sudan Raise Fears of Resurgent LRA
Recent accounts of the latest Lord’s Resistance Army attacks in South Sudan suggest that the rebel group has grown in numbers and is in possession of new and ample ammunition.
Talks Advance on South Sudan's Independence Vote
Months of talks between North and South Sudan over plans for the highly-anticipated vote on South Sudan’s independence are beginning to show progress, according to both northern and southern officials.
Mapping Violence in South Sudan
We thought it would be useful to plot details of major attacks in South Sudan on a map to draw a picture of the increasing violence as the clock ticks toward national elections next year and the self-determination referendum in 2011.
Violence in South Sudan Raises Alarm over Health of Peace Deal
South Sudan was once again hit with violence this week when Lou Nuer militiamen attacked a Dinka village, leaving 76 dead, 46 injured and 1,800 homeless, according to officials cited by the L.A. Times. Among those dead were 20 government security officers who were defending the village. The particulars of this attack fit the pattern of the recent wave of violence in South Sudan.
Amid Sporadic Violence in South Sudan, a Common Link?
The U.N. has confirmed another attack in southern Sudan’s violence-wracked and remote Jonglei state, leaving 46 people dead and 15 in critical condition. The weekend attack forced an estimated 24,000 people to flee, according to a local official who spoke to the Associated Press. The U.N. estimates that more than 2000 people have died and […]
Hunger Epidemic Threatens South Sudan
Amid the mounting political challenges in Sudan, the United Nations signaled this week that it is gearing up for a massive food shortage in southern Sudan.
North, South Sudan Reps Take to the Airwaves to Discuss Abyei
A month after the fact, the Abyei Arbitration Tribunal’s July 22 ruling remains a major topic of discussion. Voice of America’s radio show Straight Talk Africa discussed the ruling this week, with commentary by Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, the Head of the Government of Southern Sudan Mission to the U.S., and Ambassador Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed, the […]
More Violent Clashes Rock South Sudan
After last week’s round of Sudan-related hearings on Capitol Hill, which highlighted the life or death implications of the Obama administration’s ongoing Sudan policy review, this week started with tragic news from southern Sudan. At least 185 people were reportedly killed in inter-ethnic violence Sunday in Jonglei’s Akobo County, a remote, tense, and heavily armed […]
South Sudan Still Scattered with Landmines
Nineteen out of the 25 states in southern Sudan are still littered by landmines from the 22-year civil war that ended in 2005. Efforts are now underway to clear the most densely mined areas – a process critical to enabling displaced populations to return home, humanitarian aid to be dispersed, and peacekeeping forces to fully […]
Obama Finds Time for Story about South Sudan
What is the What tells the story of Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese “lost boy” who lived through a brutal Sudanese civil war between North and South that killed more than 2 million people during over 20 years of conflict. The book, published in 2006, details Deng’s journey from his home in the southern Sudanese […]
Government of South Sudan Comes Out Against Khartoum's Actions
South Sudan’s ruling party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, or SPLM, has come out publicly against Khartoum’s action against NGOs. Speaking to reporters, SPLM spokesman Yien Matthew said, "They (the NCP) are aware (of our disapproval) and yet they are continuing." He also noted, "People in Darfur who are displaced are dependent on these humanitarian agencies. […]