With moving testimonies of their own experiences as former underage combatants and concrete courses of action, 50 South Sudanese uniformed personnel and allied interlocuters pledge to uphold child rights at an UNMISS workshop in Eastern Equatoria. Photo by Moses Yakudu/UNMISS
Uniformed personnel in Eastern Equatoria vow to end all violations of child rights
EASTERN EQUATORIA – As South Sudan races against the clock to hold its first post-independence elections, there’s growing awareness that this young nation’s path to durable peace and prosperity requires systemic changes. One…
SRSG Nicholas Haysom’s supporting brief for the AUPSC Statement by the Trilateral Taskforce
[NEAR VERBATIM] Excellencies, Thank you, once again, for this opportunity to brief the African Union Peace and Security Council as part of a Trilateral format. I want to associate myself with the remarks delivered by…
Joint Statement of the Trilateral Taskforce on Permanent Constitution-Making & Electoral Processes Support to South Sudan
[ Delivered at the AU PSC meeting ] Excellencies, On behalf of my colleagues on the Trilateral Taskforce on Permanent Constitution-Making and Electoral Processes Support to South Sudan (which comprises the AU, IGAD, and UN…
The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) responded swiftly when residents in Amadi in Eastern Equatoria State suspected the presence of explosive remnants of war in their community, preventing them from farming.
Fares Aouadi/UNMISS
UNMAS clearance makes ground safer for communities in Amadi
EASTERN EQUATORIA - In Amadi, a village located a few kilometers from South Sudan’s capital, Juba, local communities used to live in fear. Unexploded ordnance—a reminder of past civil wars—littered their ancestral lands…
Recently and significantly improved relations between Lou Nuer and Murle communities are living proof of the wisdom of the old adage "if at first you don't succeed, try again." Photos by Khalif Farah & Islam Fady/UNMISS
Peace dialogues bring early signs of improved ethnic relations in greater Jonglei/Pibor
JONGLEI/PIBOR- In the ethnically complex Greater Jonglei/Pibor area, cattle raids, revenge killings, child abductions and other forms of intercommunal violence have been going on for longer than anyone wants to remember…
UNMISS condemns killing of staff member and calls for an urgent investigation
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) condemns the killing today of a South Sudanese staff member in Abiemnhom in the Ruweng Administrative Area, close to the border with Warrap State and Abyei. Charles Kiir Gone…
On International Women's Day, meet Mama Fatima, a 60-year-old woman in Juba who does not let personal setbacks stop her from living life to the fullest.
Nektarios Markogiannis/UNMISS
IWD special: Mama Fatima says the job doesn’t matter, it’s what you do with it that counts
JUBA - Although life so far has not turned out the way she had hoped for, 60-year-old Fatima Ibrahim Ori doesn’t let that stop her from living it to the fullest. That spirit of hers means that we cannot think of anyone more…
Some helicopters are more important than others, like this one, belonging to UNMISS and delivering justice to Koch. Photo by Peter Bateman/UNMISS.
Success of mobile court in Koch sets the stage for further expansion of formal justice system
UNITY STATE – The landing of a helicopter at a remote peacekeeping base in Koch, South Sudan, signified a pivotal moment for the local community. It meant that a judge would soon set foot in the area for what may be the first…
On this year’s International Women’s Day, meet UNMISS police officer Ayat Harb, who left behind her and two daughters in Jordan to serve for peace in South Sudan. Photo by Fares Aouadi/UNMISS.
Ayat Harb, Jordanian police officer: “I want to improve the lives of other women, especially the most vulnerable”
LAKES - It takes a strong woman, determined to make a difference, to leave two children and family behind to become a peacekeeper serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Fortunately for everyone…
Maria Angelo, a 27-year-old political activist in Northern Bahr El Ghazal state, hopes to see her fellow women taking part in her country’s ongoing peace and political processes, asserting their rights. Photo by Emmanuel Kele/UNMISS.
International Women’s Day inspiration: “We have the right to be heard”, says Maria Angelo
NORTHERN BAHR EL GHAZAL – “In South Sudan, empowering women remains a necessity. Providing them with education and equal opportunities will allow them to be more involved in decision-making processes. That will especially…
"If you are good enough, you are old enough", the saying goes. Mary Nyaluong Dhieu Kiir in Malakal is living proof of that. Photos by Samson Liberty/UNMISS.
IWD special: Mary in Malakal has her eyes set on winning political post to fight for women’s rights
UPPER NILE – She may be only 27, but Mary Nyaluong Dhieu Kiir has already tasted professional success by becoming a Director at her state’s Ministry of Gender and Social Welfare. Doubling as Secretary-General for Upper Nile’s…
Colonel Maysaros Chea, Commanding Officer of the peacekeeping mission’s Military Police contingent, is proud of her gender-balanced staff. Photos: Nektarios Markogiannis/UNMISS.
Cambodian military commander embodies continuous learning, writes UNMISS history
“I used to be a kindergarten teacher and loved it, but then I felt I was ready to play with older children,” says Colonel Maysaros Chea from Cambodia, cheeky smile on her face. She would have barely left kindergarten herself…