The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is acting to stop a troubling trend in sexual attacks on women and girls travelling from villages to the town of Bentiu in the Unity region of the country. Approximately 125 women and girls have sought medical treatment after having been raped…
A Nepalese peacekeeper serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was shot and wounded by a government soldier near the town of Yei at the weekend, raising questions over the country’s fragile new peace agreement. The convoy was travelling from the UN base in Yei to collect water,…
The commanders from three United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa briefed the UN Security Council on Wednesday on the evolving security challenges they face in their respective roles. Jean‑Paul Deconinck, commander for United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), was joined by Frank Mushyo Kamanzi, the commander of United…
In South Sudan, the SPLM-IO has called shameful the decision to condemn James Gatdet Dak, a former spokesman for exiled opposition leader Riek Machar, to death by hanging on charges of treason. “When the regime should be working to create a conducive environment for negotiations, they are instead handing down…
In South Sudan, 311 child soldiers have been released by armed groups, the United Nations mission in the country said Wednesday. The group including 87 girls marks the first phase of a program at Yambio, in the southwest part of the country, to secure the release of more than 700…
The United Nations needs to “change the way we are doing business” when it comes to peacekeeping operations, because the high-risk environments encountered in today’s conflict zones – especially on the African continent – come with new and greater threats to the traditional mission. That’s the conclusion of a newly…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Hundreds of South Sudanese are going home to their villages in an Upper Nile region now safe enough for their return, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said Wednesday. Most chose to settle in Melut, a town near the civilian camp where they’ve been living. It is now…
A South Sudan unification deal signed earlier this month in Cairo shows promise in ending the nation’s conflict and humanitarian crisis, but it’s already hitting snags on implementation when it comes to rebuilding the SPLM party split by President Salva Kiir loyalists and exiled opposition leader Riek Machar. Nhial Deng…
Nikki Haley, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, was rushed from a refugee camp in South Sudan after protests broke out and a humanitarian aid office was looted during her visit. Haley, on a three-nation tour in Africa, was evacuated from the camp safely. Images shared by Radio…
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan is now under new leadership, with the arrival this week of Lieutenant General Frank Mushyo Kamanzi of Rwanda. Kamanzi will lead a force of 17,000 military personnel from 55 different countries, UNMISS said in a statement. The new commander has nearly 30…
A spokesman for the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) has called on the United Nations to investigate the activities of the UN mandate in South Sudan, while charging the UN with supporting South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his government. In a statement issued by SPLA-IO spokesman William Gatjliath Deng,…
The head of the commission responsible for overseeing South Sudan’s peace and political agreements said Wednesday that he is dismayed by escalating conflict that prevents their implementation, while exacting a heavy toll in humanitarian terms. “Over the past three months there have been increasing reports of targeted and revenge killings,…
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia has urged Kenya to revisit its decision to withdraw troops from South Sudan, the state-affiliated FANA news agency reported. “We want the government of Uhuru Kenyatta to let its troops remain in South Sudan and support the efforts being made to restore peace in…
Human rights leaders have condemned Kenya’s decision to deport the South Sudanese spokesman of opposition leader Riek Machar, who has called the deportation a violation of the Geneva Convention. The Daily Nation in Nairobi said that Machar, head of the opposition SPLM-IO and the former South Sudanese vice president in…