News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

Within minutes of receiving warning of a potential clash between armed groups in Cueibet, Nepalese peacekeepers sprang into action, sending a team of highly trained troops to intervene and protect civilians in the area. Their rapid response to the threat of an intercommunal clash followed the…

Hazel de Wet has had a long career with the United Nations. One of the few women who have served with both the humanitarian and peacekeeping arms of the Organization, Hazel’s commitment to the displaced, the marginalized and the conflict-affected started with her professional exposure in her own…

“The economic crisis in our country is a direct effect of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Reverend James Fadamulla from the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. “At this year’s revival meeting our aim is to reassure them that we are in this together, that everybody is suffering during this catastrophic…

The South Sudanese flag flies proudly above the tiny school on the outskirts of the capital Juba. The roof to the concrete block classrooms is propped up by pieces of wood, there are a few rickety desks, and the blackboard is well used to say the least. Despite the dire limitations of this learning…

Most representatives of farmers and pastoralists in the states of Warrap and Western Bahr el-Ghazal have agreed on a number of principles of conduct to reduce conflicts between the two groups ahead of the upcoming cattle migration season. A mobile court will also be set up in the area to increase…

Representatives from twelve different political parties in Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal State have reiterated their commitment to work together to implement the revitalized peace agreement signed in September 2018. Some also voiced their wish to see more women involved in decision-making processes. “I…

Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon has come full circle in her life. Born in Zimbabwe, she moved to Australia when she was eight years old. Twenty years later, she is back in her home continent serving as a United Nations peacekeeper in South Sudan, which is recovering from a brutal five-year long civil war…

To mark the ongoing 16 Days of Activism campaign against gender-based violence, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan has embarked on an eight-day-long awareness-raising tour throughout the capital Juba. “My aim of working here is to save enough money for my daughter, Mary Gune, to complete her…

“People often talk about the glass ceiling in UN peacekeeping,” says Geetha Pious. “I think that the glass ceiling comes into play very early in life; societies bracket men and women into specific gender roles without acknowledging that we can successfully blur these lines.” When it comes to her…

Adjacent to the UNMISS base in Malakal is a protection site, home to some 30,000 South Sudanese who flocked here in 2013 to escape the devastation wrought by the civil war. It’s here that 38-year-old henna artist Hawa Adam starts her workday. It is 8:00 in the morning. A slight drizzle and…

It is not commonplace for women to be part of India’s infantry, and that goes for the contingent of peacekeepers based in Malakal as well, where more than eight hundred soldiers were recently awarded medals for their service for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Major Chetna, an engineering…

Born and raised in Kenya, Caroline Waudo was raised by a pioneer—her mother, a respected primary school teacher was the first women to own and ride a bicycle in their community and an honoured community leader. Her grandmother was also a women’s leader and a midwife. Caroline’s leadership skills can…