News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

In an effort to tackle gender-based violence (GBV) through alternatives to wood gathering, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Women's Refugee Commission (WRC) held a workshop in Juba on household energy from 2 to 5 March. The session, which drew participants from government ministries, UN…

University students in Malakal recently participated in an open-day forum to discuss their role in forthcoming April elections. Organized by UNMIS Public Information Office, the 6 March event was held under the theme "Success for today is preparation for tomorrow". The forum brought together over…

Upper Nile State Ministry of Information and Communication has established a committee on press coverage of the upcoming election that will seek to ensure all political parties and independent candidates enjoy equal access to news media. The ministry's director general Bartholomew Pakwan Abwol…

In a bid to improve transportation links between different regions of the country, Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and First Vice-President and President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) Salva Kiir Mayardit reopened a railway line on 11 March that once connected North and Southern Sudan…

International Women's Day was observed across Sudan from 8 (the actual day) to 11 March with musical performances, poetry readings, handicraft exhibitions, seminars, speeches promoting women's rights and marches. The theme of this year's celebrations was "equal rights, equal opportunities: progress…

UNMIS regrets news reports attributed to Umma Reform and Renewal Party (URRP) suggesting that the Mission's Chief Electoral Affairs Officer has been involved in the process of granting contracts for the printing of some election ballots inside Sudan. UNMIS Spokesperson categorically dismisses such…

A town hall meeting sponsored by the Upper Nile State Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the state's High Committee for elections was held in Melut County for representatives of political parties and civil society on 12 March. Opened by County Commissioner Thon Jauth Boll, the meeting was…

Twenty-five juvenile inmates at the central prison in Juba received certificates for completing their courses of study on 10 March. Enrollment of the children in formal education courses was the brainchild of UNMIS Corrections Officer Eucharia Nzekwe. Sixteen finished class one grade of studies…

As part of ongoing efforts to promote good governance and the rule of law in Southern Sudan, representatives of the University of Juba, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Joint Donor Team (JDT) attended a meeting at the UNDP's regional office on 8 March to discuss the return of…

The ballot papers for the April general elections have begun arriving in Southern Sudan. The Southern Sudan High Committee (SSHC) received the first consignment of ballot papers earmarked for the region at Juba International Airport on 12 March. "This is the first load of executive ballot papers for…

Thirty-three basic education school head teachers from Western Equatoria State concluded a two-week refresher course on school management skills on 12 March in Yambio. Speaking during the closing ceremony, Yambio County Education Director Jeremiah Ismail said that the skills acquired during the…

The advent of peace in Southern Sudan has produced few advances in the status of prisoners' human rights. Access to qualified legal counsel remains quite limited, living conditions in many detention facilities have worsened and poorly trained prison officials often resort to physical assault to…