News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

EASTERN EQUATORIA - Christine Lado Wani runs an unusual business in Torit, Eastern Equatoria: She sells construction material. “I know it's strange to see a woman selling wooden planks, bamboo and other sundry items,” she acknowledges with a laugh. “But I have managed to build up a substantial…

JUBA – In the lead up to today’s International Women’s Day, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) ran a weeklong mobile awareness campaign in Juba, the capital city, with a single aim: To highlight the need for upholding the rights of women and girls as well as empowering them. To…

JONGLEI - Rachel Adau Gieu is a fierce advocate for women’s rights in Jonglei, South Sudan. Her childhood was in no way a fairytale. She lost her father at an early age and says she owes a lot to her mother who brought up Rachel and her five siblings singlehandedly. “As a young girl, I always felt…

WARRAP STATE – “Since I was a child, I’ve wanted to become an engineer. Imagine how intriguing it would be to create things from scratch. Challenging your knowledge and inner creativity to come up with useful stuff, stuff that benefits others. How exciting would that be?” Nancy Joseph’s eyes come to…

EASTERN EQUATORIA STATE - The words “sex education” have the potential to make some parents and biology teachers across the world shiver, blush, or both. Add a cultural context where mentioning contraceptive methods is more or less taboo and the task can become too daunting to take on. “I will not…

NORTHERN BAHR EL GHAZAL – Unceasing conflict and a traditionally patriarchal society has massively impacted women and girls across South Sudan, the world’s newest country. However, there is a renewed push from women themselves to speak up for equal rights. In Northern Bahr El Ghazal, at a recent…

UPPER NILE— “We have been neglected and denied our rights for far too long,” said Achol Nyibong, a women’s representative from Malakal, Upper Nile state, South Sudan. “Our ability to take decisions or hold leadership positions—whether in our government or local institutions or even among our…

UNITY—“The relative stability following the signing of the Revitalized Peace Agreement is something we have to capitalize on if we want displaced people to return to their original settlements and start rebuilding their lives,” states John Juan Buom, Executive Director, Relief and Rehabilitation…

WESTERN EQUATORIA – Can traditional and community leaders be be successful intermediaries between local authorities and citizens? How can they bridge gaps between customary courts and the formal justice system? What needs to be done include more women in leadership positions among communities? These…

UPPER NILE - “There is nothing to be gained from conflict and I, therefore, decided to be part of a solution that brings peace,” says Nyayual Nyach. Nyayual is one of the delegates on a panel tasked with reviewing a local peace initiative in this remote county in the Upper Nile state of South Sudan…

EASTERN EQUATORIA—“Part of our job as United Nations Police officers is to help our local counterparts in South Sudan to hone their policing skills,” says Namanya Apollo, an UNPOL officer serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Police Adviser Apollo and his colleagues…

WARRAP STATE - What are some of the factors that hold women back in South Sudan, what would it take empower them instead and why would doing so benefit the country as a whole? These are questions worth pondering, not just as part of the commemoration of International Women’s Day, and pondered they…