News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

JONGLEI/GREATER PIBOR: “Working for the South Sudanese people has humbled me,” says Lieutenant-Colonel Harsh Awasthi. “The suffering they have endured and the hope they still keep alive for a more peaceful future is, indeed, special.” Lieutenant-Colonel Awasthi, a peacekeeper from India, was…

CENTRAL EQUATORIA – “When you empower a woman, you empower the whole nation,” says Emmanuel Khamis Richard, Lainya County Commissioner. “Women make up 50 per cent of our population and their full participation in politics, leadership and decision-making is critical for South Sudan to establish…

JONGLEI - “We were having massive challenges with electricity connections,” recalls Majok Peter Nyuon, the clinician in charge of Duk Padiet Primary Health Care Centre. Despite the Centre being relatively modern, the lack of a consistent power supply meant that patients could not receive the care…

LAKES – Communities living some 60 kilometers away from the main police station in Wakou, a boma [administrative division] of Wulu county in Lakes state, South Sudan, did not sleep easy at night. The reason: Though Lakes is largely stable, Waku shares borders with Western Equatoria, which for six…

WESTERN BAHR EL GHAZAL - With a peace deal signed in 2018 and a transitional government of national unity in place, communities across South Sudan who had abandoned their homes and villages to save their lives during past civil wars are slowly beginning to return. However, many returnees face…

EASTERN EQUATORIA – “As soldiers we need to understand that children are particularly vulnerable when armed conflict breaks out,” revealed Leila Khamis, an officer from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army – in Opposition (SPLA-iO) based in Kapoeta, Eastern Equatoria. Leila was speaking at a training…

WARRAP - “When we see a helicopter with the United Nations logo, we feel happy that they are checking in on us,” said Ting Nyin Kuc, a resident of Marial Lou in Warrap state, South Sudan. When intercommunal conflict spiraled in the area last year, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)…

WESTERN EQUATORIA - “By gathering here today, we have addressed many trivial misunderstandings and hate speech. It has made us come together as one, regardless of the political parties we belong to,” said Khamis John Brown, a member of Western Equatoria state’s parliament. Mr Brown was speaking at…

EASTERN EQUATORIA – Given recent disturbances in Lafon, Eastern Equatoria, due to tensions between settled farming communities, nomadic herders, and cattle raiders, an integrated patrol from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) visited the area to engage with communities and…

JONGLEI - Some 50 traditional and community leaders drawn from across all nine counties in South Sudan’s Jonglei state came together for a two-day conference jointly facilitated by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The focus of…

CENTRAL EQUATORIA - “We tailor skills training programmes to not just focus on theoretical knowledge but actually help people earn livelihoods,” says Lauro Ohiyo, a Protection, Transition and Reintegration Officer working with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). “We believe its an…

Conflict-related sexual violence continues to be one of the most traumatic features of the conflict in South Sudan. Women, men and children continue to be at risk while facing pandemic-related restrictions, spiking violence, and reduced access to services and legal protections. Sexual violence…