Governor calls for returnee assistance
9 December 2010 - Warrap State Governor Nyandeng Malek called on the UN and government to assist returnees arriving daily in her state from the north. Speaking at an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers, Governor Malek said many returnees had received no humanitarian assistance, including…
Ex-combatants learn new skills
14 December 2010 – To widen their skills and knowledge as they prepare to re-enter civilian life, some 150 ex-combatants began a three-week reintegration workshop today in the Western Bahr El Ghazal State capital of Wau. Organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in close…
Wau salutes human rights defenders
16 December - Thousands of people from across the Bahr El-Ghazal region celebrated Human Rights Day with processions, speeches music and drama today in Wau. Government officials from the four regional states (Warrap, Lakes and Northern as well as Western Bahr El-Ghazal), UN representatives, Sudan…
Dinka-Misseriya dialogue begins in Southern Kordofan
19 December 2010 – A three-day conference for peaceful coexistence between the Misseriya and Dinka Ngok of the disputed Abyei Area kicked off today in Kadugli, Southern Kordofan State. Using a local peace building tool involving mediation from the ajaweed (council of elders), the conference was…
Keeping roads open
Like so many other overland routes in Southern Sudan, the road from the Central Equatoria State town of Yei to the border town of Kaya is out of service for several months of the year during the region's rainy season. The segment between Kaya and the town of Morobo that snakes through the Pokii…
Countdown to referendum
A towering clock strategically positioned at a major roundabout in Juba counts down in days, minutes and seconds the time remaining before registered voters flock to the polls to cast ballots in next year's self-determination referendum. In anticipation of the ballot, the resident diplomatic…
Securing the referendum
When the John Garang Unified Memorial Police Training Academy opened its doors last January, the facilities awaiting the first group of 6,000 cadets were rudimentary, to say the least. "Many were surprised when we established this training centre from nothing," recalled the Inspector General of the…
Educating the electorate
Local organizations in Southern Sudan have launched education campaigns ahead of what could prove to be the most important vote in the region's history. Southerners are set to go to the polls on 9 January to begin voting in the region's long-awaited referendum on whether to remain united with the…
Future victories
An avid soccer-player, 10-year-old Fatkhi has been sitting on the sidelines since he received a hard blow to his leg during a game several weeks ago. The injury to his leg became infected and painful, so Fatkhi had to forget about playing. With only one medical assistant serving the 6,000…
Referendum workshops held in Upper Nile State
17 December 2010 – With the southern self-determination referendum less than three weeks away, UNMIS and the Upper Nile State Referendum High Committee held a one-day workshop today in Akoka County on details of the poll. The event targeted religious leaders, teachers, traditional chiefs and…
Volunteering for Southern Sudan’s referendum
Dinah Kayumba is no stranger to elections, Sudan or assignments as a United Nations Volunteer (UNV). When the 53-year-old Zambian journalist arrived in Sudan last month to take up her duties as a public outreach officer for the UN Integrated Referendum and Electoral Division (UNIRED) in the city of…
A culture of clean
While many struggling areas of Southern Sudan focus on vital needs like food, shelter and health, residents of Wau have made cleanliness one of their top priorities. The second largest town in the south, the Western Bahr El-Ghazal State capital is renowned for being the cleanest city in the region.…