News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

“Our 2019 should begin with a new page of love for one another. I know, it is not easy to forgive, but if I can forgive the leaders of our country for making me a widow in 2013, why can’t we all forgive one another for the sake of our children?” Ajoh Kuol Kwai, a 67-year-old mother of five, echoed…

UNMISS PoC sites Update No. 224

The people of Motti, a village in Eastern Equatoria, have been through a few dark years since 2016, when violence put an end to life as they knew it and forced them to flee. Now, the revitalized peace agreement seems to be turning the tide, with many displaced families talking about returning. “The…

UNMISS PoC sites Update No.225

The two nomadic communities of Rup and Pakam in the Western Lakes region have negotiated and pledged to end decades of intercommunal violence of cattle raids and deadly revenge attacks. Returning stolen cows and increasing intercommunal interaction, not least by encouraging intermarriage, are among…

Following a series of consultations among residents of the Twic area in South Sudan’s northwestern Bahr El Ghazal region, it has been tentatively decided that Mayen-Abun will remain the capital. The declaration was made on 5 January in the town of Aweng, where local authorities supported by the…

UNMISS PoC sites Update No.226

Limited or non-existent police presence in rural areas in South Sudan make it increasingly difficult to respond to critical security threats in these hard-to-access communities. “We are aware that the police are understaffed and lack funding. Sometimes they can’t even afford fuel for their vehicles…

An incapacitated hospital is a sad sight. After five years out of service, it gives disgrace a face. Unless, of course, Indian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan comes to the rescue. Such has been the fortunate fate of the Jonglei Health Institute in Bor. Applauding…

A school bell rings out in Malakal. It is the first time since 2013 that this particular bell, which signals the start of the South Sudan school certificate exams, has been heard here. So momentous is this occasion that one student, Lilian Martin Nyilek, has made a gruelling three-day riverine trip…

Residents of Anyidi in the Jonglei region have applauded the South Korean contingent serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan for providing them with medical services during a recent visit to the town. “It is the first time that we have had a medical team visit and treat us since the…

The sun has just dragged itself above the Juba horizon for another day of relentless roasting. Yet this is not your average, uneventful day. At least not for 466 students staying and studying at the protection site for the thousands of people who are still sheltered next to the base of the United…