South Sudan News Agency

April 15, 2012 (SSNA) -- Today Sunday 16th April 2012, I went to pray in St. Theresa Cathedral at Kator in Juba as usual. It was a celebration for Silver as well as Golden Jubilee for Four Sacred Heart of Jesus' Sisters and for profession of a final vow for one Sister.

The mass took four hours at the end of which Arch Bishop of Juba Diocese, Rt. Rev. Paulino Lokudu Loro read out a statement of the Roman Catholic Church Bishops of Republic of South Sudan on the current borders war.

The statement called the on-going war as shameful and condemned what Juba and Khartoum are doing to take the two nations back to suffering.

Also the statement regretted the attitude of Juba that has shown disrespect and loggerhead with the international community who have stood with people of the new country through out their struggle against injustice.

The statement emphasized that the choice of peace is difficult but a sure way to prosperity than the choice of war, which is the easiest and surest way to hell. It urged the two countries to choose peace with justice and avoid war.

The Bishops called for dialogue and peaceful means of resolving the pending problems and issues between the Sudan and South Sudan. They encouraged the international community not to give up in helping the two countries achieve a lasting peace and good neighborhood.

Over 20 herds of cattle have died of Black quarter disease in Maiwut County, Upper Nile State

Reported By Dr. Peter Kayier Tut – Veterinarian

March 25, 2012 (SSNA) -- I have been contracted by CARE SS, an international organization working in South Sudan-Upper Nile State Program to conduct Refresher Training for Community Based Animal Health workers and to facilitate as well the livestock Deworming and Treatment campaign covering all the remote payams of Maiwut County. It was during this tour and exercise that we had come to encounter dozens reports from communities on disease outbreak which I had identified or suspected to be Black Quarter base on clinical signs and symptoms observed.

It was on 16/3/2012 when I personally came across the outbreak in one of the cattle camp, a heifer of two years was found dead above in Lolkuoth Jetome Payam in Maiwut County. I approached the community to have the full picture of the disease incidence; the community informed us that, this is not the first kind of death reiterating that several animals died of the same disease showing the same clinical symptoms. They said many animals have died in several locations, but no action has been taken by various stakeholders as far as the outbreak is concern.

The informants reported that those animals that died of the disease showed loss of appetite prior to onset of disease with good body condition and the disease targets animals between ages of one to two years. Death commence within 24-48 hr and an estimated 20 herd have died of the disease according to the various reports receive in different payams of Maiwut county.

Clinical Manifestation:

They reported that animals lost appetite, suspended ruminations, and lameness, and generalized swelling over the back, hip, and shoulders prior to onset of the disease. I tried to dialogue with communities to strictly take the following disease outbreak containment measures;

Isolate all infected animal from the camp.

Dispose off carcasses far from homestead and cattle camp to avoid further contamination and spread of the disease

Burning the upper layer of soil to eradicate the left over spores

Affected cattle must be removed from healthy one to avoid putting them at risk.

We urged the concern authorities both at state and national level to immediately take necessary requirements in coordinating and communicating information in order to deploy means for rapid intervention to control and prevent the disease spread.

This piece of information has been written to inform the concern authorities both the Upper Nile state Ministry of Animal Resources and fisheries and the National Ministry of animal Resources and fisheries to move out mobilized resources and conduct Mass vaccination campaign for the remaining susceptible herd of livestock in Maiwut County.

The community of Maiwut County composed mainly of Nuer Gaajak-sub Jikany and Kuma ethnic groups. Livestock keeping and rearing beside agriculture practices remained the sole source of the livelihood. Veterinary service Delivery system has not been established in the area and the attempts to control prevent livestock endemic diseases remain to be a community-Based intervention rather than veterinary conventional services delivery.

Since the country swing to mobilize incomes from other sources, livestock sector can be fully supported and its subsequence exploitation to boost our socio-economic growth.

By Maury Clark

March 12, 2012 (SSNA) -- Nairobi, a city with a reputation as sanctuary from the violence and turmoil of Sub-Saharan Africa, joined the rest of the region last night following an attack that reportedly killed four, and left dozens wounded. About two dozen of the most seriously injured are being treated at the Kenyatta National Hospital where a dozen remain in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit. Dozens more were transported for treatment to medical centers throughout Nairobi.

At about 8pm last night, a sedan carrying an unknown number drove by the crowded Country Bus Station in Nairobi, slowed, threw three hand grenades and fired dozens of shots into the waiting crowd. The carnage was spread over a wide area as the car sped off.

Noting direct similarities to earlier assaults throughout the region, police reported that this was an "-- obviously well-planned and carried out attack". There was a similar hit on a bar in Nairobi last fall, but the death and injuries last night far exceed the prior attack.

While Al-Shabaab has claimed no formal responsibility, a local group with known ties has issued a statement that there will be "--more to come". Following raids and kidnappings on Kenya beach resorts last year, Kenya has joined other nations to eliminate the Al-Qaeda related organization, Al-Shabaab.

Although police are omnipresent today and the security at the Nairobi Hilton, where I am staying, is comforting, I think that a little relaxation at the hotel pool is called for before continuing on to Juba next Tuesday.

Brief Report on South Sudan National Constitutional Review Process

January 7, 2012 (SSNA) -- During the consultative meeting that was convened in Home and Away Hotel in Juba in the evening of 6th January 2012 chaired by Dr. Riek Machar, Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan in presence of South Sudan Political Parties Leaders (representatives), Mr. John Luk Jok, Minister of Justice of the Republic of South Sudan presented a memo of FRAMEWORK FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW COMMISSION (CRC) dated 05/1/2012 with Ref. MOJ/J/RSS/2011.

1. The memo outlined the legal framework that required the President of the Republic of South Sudan constitutionally to establish the National Constitutional Review Commission (setting out mandate, powers, function, legal status, provisions for staffing, etc) and appoint Commissioners (including their terms of service) by decree after completion of consultation.

2. Also the memo outlined Membership and Criteria of appointment, citing that the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan requires the President of the Republic to consider: competence, experience, technical expertise, representativeness, integrity and independence of appointees.

3. Further, the memo highlighted that the Transitional Constitution does not stipulate the number of Commissioners and thus, it is proposed that the number be around 15 - 25 so that the group is small as it is meant to be based on expertise with effective coordination.

4. Further more, the memo outlined that those who are required constitutionally to be consulted by the President of the Republic are: Political Parties, Relevant Professional Bodies ( e.g., Bar Association, Law Society, Academia, etc), Women, Civil Society Organizations, and Persons with Disabilities.

5. The memo set out the criteria for identifying legitimate Stakeholders Groups and Civil Society Organizations to be: formal registration of the organization, substantial membership, length of period of existence of the organization and participation in national issues.

6. Also the memo indicated the 9th January 2012 to be the deadline timing of consultation for the establishment of the formation of the CRC as requires by the transitional constitution, and urged that the consultation be completed quickly within the remaining three days so that the President of the Republic could make formal appointment of the Commission members.

7. Finally the memo mentioned that the consultation meeting was convened by the Office of the President and the Ministry of Justice in order to reach an agreement on the composition and nomination of the Members of the CRC.

During the consultation meeting, many leader (representatives) of political parties seemed not to be happy with the short notice and hurrying of consultation meeting within a very short time. Most of them seemed to have agreed that the President may go ahead to appoint the Chairperson of the CRC and his Deputy as well as other permanent members of the Commission the total of which is 9 members.

But the SPLM said that it will have the lion share by taking up 4 permanent members with the rest of political parties given 3 to share amongst themselves and non-participant groups given the remaining 1 member to share among themselves. Also the SPLM-DC requested that it be allocated 1 permanent member because it is the officially recognized Opposition Political Party in the new country.

Regarding the non-permanent members of the CRC, it was reluctantly resolved that they be appointed later with SPLM taking up 21 members, other political parties dividing 10 amongst themselves and the non-partisan groups sharing 5 members among themselves. Regarding this, the SPLM-DC demanded that it be allocated 1 non-permanent member.

It has been noticed that Civil Society and other non-partisans stakeholders were not invited to the consultation meeting and this seems to be a violation to article 202(2) of the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan, 2011. It is not clear whether they will be consulted somewhere else within the remaining two days before the deadline of the constitutional appointment of the Chairperson of the CRC and his Deputy.

The same discontent about SPLM hegemony that surfaced during the drafting of the Transitional Constitution could repeat itself sooner in days ahead. Let's watch the constitutional review process in South Sudan and speak out without any fear or favor.

Dr. James Okuk

Anuak Mourn the Passing of Their Anuak King in Southern Sudan

December 5, 2011 (SSNA) -- The Anuak Justice Council (AJC) shares in the profound grief of all Anuak and friends of the Anuak throughout the world upon the loss of the king of the Anuak, His Majesty King Adongo Agada Akwai Cham, who died on November 30, 2011 following a serious illness. After seeking medical help in India and Kenya, he passed away in Nairobi, Kenya, only ten years after he assumed the throne of the Anuak kingdom in 2001.

King Adongo was living in Ottawa, Canada with his family when his father, who had been king for 58 years, passed away in Otallo town near Pochalla, Sudan, the headquarters of the Anuak kingdom. King Adongo had already had the opportunity to obtain a college education, a first for an Anuak king, before it was revealed that his father had designated him as the first in line to kingship; something that is only revealed by an elder close to the king following his death. His decision to assume this enormous responsibility and to return to this very remote area of southeastern Southern Sudan was not an easy one. He initially was reluctant to do so. In a Canadian documentary film produced about him, A Man Who Became King, he explains, “At first I said no. I don’t want to assume so much responsibility, but then I thought, but who will go and take it?”

King Adongo rose to the responsibility, leaving the conveniences of the western world behind and facing the daunting challenges ahead of him, he accepted the kingship and thereby became the 23^rd in a line of Anuak kings dating back centuries. Under his highly respected leadership, King Adongo brought more peaceful relations between the Anuak and other Southern Sudanese peoples in the region—such as the Dinka, the Nuer and the Murle—and saw it as a priority to continue to do more. In an interview posted by House of Nationalities,^[i] he spoke of how his mission was “to see development,” “to reduce conflicts with neighboring tribes” and “to be good neighbours for the North.” He explained:“We cannot build a country with differences. We are one people, one nation, one nationality. We should harmonise ourselves.” 

Certainly, many more accomplishments were cut short with his death; particularly in light of the new acceptance of Southern Sudan as a country. He had high hopes that the new Government of South Sudan (GOSS) would assume an increasingly positive role in contributing to future peace and development, especially as people and groups competed with each other for new opportunities never possible before. His Majesty King Adongo put hopes in the new government; saying, “…any dispute within the community can be solved by the government,” acknowledging that as of yet, the GOSS was “not very strong, but it is there. A commissioner has been appointed…I can go to the government directly, to GOSS, to Riek [Machar], to Salva [Kiir]…we need to give them a chance.”

Interestingly, King Adongo and the new president of the Republic of South Sudan, President Salva Kiir, were former school classmates. They had enjoyed a very warm relationship that went back many years; giving each, easy access to the other. This friendship, as well as respect for King Adongo’s former leadership and kingship, was visibly demonstrated by the way President Kiir, Vice President Riek Machar and the Government of South Sudan have taken extraordinary measures to bring back King Adongo’s body from Kenya to Juba for funeral services before providing a plane and helicopter to fly his family and his body back to Anuakland, located near Pochalla, South Sudan, where he will be buried. Both of them, along with other GOSS officials and many Anuak and other Southern Sudanese, met the body at the airport before joining a long processional of many vehicles accompanying the body to the church in Juba where they attended a service in keeping with the King’s Christian beliefs.

With the seat of his kingship being located in South Sudan, King Adongo would certainly have played a positive and formative role in helping to shape this new country into one that brought greater unity, equality and opportunity to all the people. He also knew the particular challenges facing the Anuak as they recovered from decades of conflict, displacement, marginalization and hardship. He had already helped in this transition but there remains much more to be done to make sure the Anuak, as well as others, are fairly included in this fragile transition to a new era of leadership, development and opportunity. Now it is the responsibility of the living to take on the work he has started.

In talking with many Anuak, many of them have described feeling a deep sense of loss at the death of King Adongo who many had hoped would work closely with the new government and other leaders of Southern Sudan to bring peace and development to this region. Some have even said that only the brutal genocide of the Anuak by the current Ethiopian TPLF/EPRDF dictatorial regime of Meles Zenawi had greater impact on the Anuak worldwide. It is even more painful that his death comes nearly at the same time as Anuak will be remembering the 8^th anniversary of this horrible crime that will never be forgotten; particularly because evidence reveals it was planned months before, in Meles’ office, as a means to destroy Anuak leadership so as to take over Anuak land and resources.

His Majesty King Adongo knew about that genocide very well. He had been in Pochalla, Sudan when thousands of Anuak had fled to a refugee camp there from Ethiopia following the massacre and human rights atrocities that began on December 13-15, 2003 in Gambella, Ethiopia and continued for over two more years. Thousands of Ethiopian Anuak still remain in either the Pochalla Refugee Camp in Sudan or in Dadaab (Ifo) or Kakuma Refugee Camps in Kenya. After the South attained its independence, King Adongo pointed to conditions of Anuak in Ethiopia as the next concern, saying, “[Now] the problem is really the Ethiopian side. We don’t care about these borders.”As Anuak know, the colonial borders were drawn through the middle of Anuakland; leaving half of the Anuak on either side, but all under the kingship.

He was fully aware of the continuing human rights abuses and repression of rights in Ethiopia. He also knew about how the future of the Anuak in Ethiopia was being threatened by “land grabs” as they were now being forced off their indigenous land by the same authoritarian regime that had planned the genocide of 2003 related to exploiting the oil reserves on their land; now it was related to acquiring their fertile land and water and giving it away to foreign investors like Karuturi Global of India and Saudi Star of Saudi Arabia as well as many government cronies. His Majesty knew that the future of Anuak children and adults was being stolen as they continued to flee the country and that many who had fled in 2003 continued to languish in over-crowded refugee camps where there was little opportunity for education or advancement. He understood what it was like because he had also been a refugee; leaving Sudan during the war when he felt unsafe. He had spent three years in Cuba as a refugee before being resettled in Canada.

As Anuak throughout the world mourn his passing, may all value, uphold and demonstrate the legacy King Adongo has left behind and now become part of the means to fulfill his mission to bring peace, opportunity, development and freedom. It is up to Anuak throughout the world to become active contributors for as King Adongo said about his first reluctance to assume his own responsibility as king, “…but who will go and take it?” Each should ask that same question. Only one person will take on the title and responsibility as the new king; yet, many can help support and fulfill this large vision he held.

May God provide strength, comfort, love and guidance to King Adongo’s family, extended family, community and to all Anuak and friends of Anuak everywhere at this very sad time and for the difficult days ahead. Let us be confident that at such a time as this, we can be assured that the God, in whom King Adongo believed, remains with us. May God bless the Anuak and make them a blessing to their neighbors, their countries and to those beyond the land divided by rivers. May they bring gifts to the LORD Almighty on His Holy Mountain!

For further details and information, please contact: Mr. Ochala Abulla, Chairman of the Anuak Justice Council (AJC): Phone: +1 (604) 520-6848 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Thank you so much for your support from–Ochala, Ojulu, Ojoy, Obang and the rest of AJC team.

Note to the editor: Intensive UN-led efforts are ongoing in newly independent South Sudan to remove landmines. As a result lives are being saved and the huge costs of transportation are going down, reports Africa Renewal’s Wanjohi Kabukury.

By Wanjohi Kabukuru

November 28, 2011 (SSNA) -- Before 2004 it would take three to four days to travel to Juba from the border towns of Nimule and Kapoeta. Cycling was the safest means of transport. The entire area of what is now South Sudan was a war zone, and was covered with an unknown number of landmines.

Even now that South Sudan is independent, landmines continue to hinder movement, dissuade investors and frighten returning refugees. All 10 states of South Sudan report mine-related injuries and deaths. As of mid-2011, according to the UN Mine Action Coordination Centre (UNMACC), there were a total of 1,243 injuries and 3,158 deaths from landmines.

“UNMACC works with several UN agencies to reduce the threat and impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war throughout South Sudan,” says Sarah Holland, a programme officer with the centre. Besides collaborating with various UN agencies and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the centre works with international and national non-governmental organizations, three commercial contractors and the South Sudan government. As of September 2011, Ms. Holland reports, a total of 4,273 anti-tank mines and 25,487 anti-personnel mines had been destroyed.

In February 2004, the first of the private contractors came into southern Sudan, Mechem, a subsidiary of Denel, the state-run South African arms company. It began mine survey operations near the border with Kenya in anticipation of a peace agreement (which was concluded the following year). Mechem was contracted by the UN Office of Project Services to begin demining work and take advantage of the ceasefire. Around the same time the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) contracted the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) to do the same. The two UN agencies were convinced that demining was the only way to cut the costs of transporting aid into southern Sudan from their bases in Lokichoggio, Kenya.

Jaco Crots, Mechem’s manager in South Sudan, has vivid recollections of when they came in from Lokichoggio. “Owing to the dangers posed by mines, very few vehicles dared to use the road to Juba, as the entire road network into Juba had been planted with mines. No meaningful development could take place here without serious demining,” he recalls.

With global experience in mine removal and a track record dating back to 1991, Mechem was able to mount a major operation. It brought in custom-made mine-resistant vehicles, metal detectors, excavators, sniffer dogs and experienced personnel. Its contract has since been repeatedly renewed.

“We worked long hours in the sweltering heat,” explains Mr. Crots. “And we could not afford to overlook some areas, as we are dealing with safety issues and lives. We had to get it right, and we did it in record time.”

Although Mechem was the first, others also joined the demining effort. They included Danish Church Aid, Landmine Action from the UK and RONCO, a commercial demining company, as well as a southern Sudanese non-governmental organization, Operation Save Innocent Lives. There was also an all-female demining team supported by Norwegian Peoples Aid, which was active in Yei.

According to the government’s South Sudan Demining Commission (SSDC), 1,653 dangerous areas have been identified. Of those, 559 were cleared of mines by the end of 2010.

The various groups involved in mine-clearing have so far opened up 20,047 kilometres of roads. In 2006 some 140 southern Sudanese soldiers were trained, with British Army assistance, at Kenya’s International Mine Action Training Centre in Nairobi. After they returned home in mid-2007 they cleared mines off the 446 kilometre Wau-Babanusa railway in less than five months. In addition, since demining began in 2005, a total of 1,067 square kilometers of land have been released to local communities.

UNMACC and the SSDA estimate that 80 per cent of the most dangerous areas have now been opened, and 96 per cent of identified “contaminated” roads have been cleared.

UNMACC, together with its implementing partners, has also provided “mine risk” education to nearly 1.5 million people, says Ms. Holland, “so that they can learn how to stay safe in areas contaminated or suspected to be contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war.” In addition, she adds, 2,700 landmine survivors and persons with disabilities have received assistance, including prosthetics and other mobility aids, as well as access to income-generating projects.

Demining is an expensive affair. On average, the UN has disbursed some $43 million to agencies involved in demining, mine-risk education and victim assistance annually since 2005. But the expense has been worthwhile. Seven years since the start of full-scale demining operations, notable progress has been made in making the world’s newest nation “mine free.”

A WFP study reveals that as a result of demining, the cost of transportation has gone down by 40 per cent and there has been a 65 per cent increase in new business openings. WFP has reduced its own transport expenses by 75 per cent by shifting food shipments from airlifts to ground transportation, thanks to demining. It now takes only three hours — instead of days — to drive to Juba from Nimule, on the border with Uganda.

“Today I look back and am proud of what we have done and are still doing,” says Mr. Crots. “Our work, which is aimed at providing a safe working environment, has made this place a haven of dreams.”

Africa Renewal www.un.org/africarenewal

November 17, 2011 (SSNA) -- After a successful liberation of Pigi County by the gallant forces of South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A) on November, 16, 2011, the military High Command of both the SSLA and SSDA agreed to work together to liberate Malakal town from Salva Kiir’s regime. Within two weeks time, the Joint Task Force of SSLA and SSDA will launch operation Saving South Sudan to liberate Malakal town. The Joint Task Force wants to give sufficient time to civilians in Malakal to start moving out because it is a big city with over three hundred thousand population.The SSLA and SSDA will also go further to send emissaries to Malakal to inform the civilians in the town to leave within two weeks. In the past, clashes between the SPLA and other armed groups in Malakal killed civilians unnecessarily.

The Joint Command of SSLA and SSDA does not want civilian casualties and would take important steps to inform the public to be aware of an impending attack to liberate the town from the regime of Salva Kiir. Because most of the people in the town do not have access to the media, the Joint Task Force of SSLA and SSDA will send emissaries to the town who will inform the civilians. We have already started contacting chiefs in Upper Nile State to be aware of an impending attack so that they inform their subjects ahead of time.

The SSLA and SSDA’s revolutionary forces congratulate the SPLA forces who joined the freedom fighters to liberate South Sudan from Salva Kiir. The revolutionary forces are fighting to liberate the oppressed people of South Sudan, particularly the SPLA soldiers who are neglected by corrupt regime of Salva Kiir. The first priority of this liberation is to restore the dignity of SPLA soldiers who are treated as third class citizens in South Sudan. Salva Kiir’s regime reduced the SPLA soldiers to robots that could be used to protect corruption of a small clique in Juba. But the SPLA army has realized that the only way to change their living standard is to remove the corrupt regime in Juba through the barrel of AK-47.

It is the priority of revolutionary forces that each SPLA soldier will receive a decent salary and allowances as soon as the country is liberated from Salva Kiir and his clan. The $4.5 billion dollars which was looted between 2005 and 2011 will be brought back to South Sudan and be given to SPLA soldiers who have not been paid since 2005. Raising the living standard of the SPLA soldiers is one of the plans of the revolutionary forces once the regime in Juba is toppled.

We want the oppressed people of South Sudan to know that as soon as the regime of Salva Kiir is toppled, each household will get its share of oil money. It is our position that once Salva Kiir is removed, our government will give each household across the ten states of South Sudan a share of oil money. We will ensure that the oil money is accessible to each and every citizen of South Sudan. Under Salva Kiir regime, the oil money is controlled by Awan clan where he originated from. As soon as the current regime is toppled, each Southern Sudanese will get monthly payment from the government as the way to redistribute oil money.

October 13, 2011 (SSNA) -- The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) officially launched the Aid Strategy of the Government of South Sudan at a workshop held at the Government Accountancy Training Centre, in the presence of other Government agencies and the international community.

Hon. Kosti Manibe Ngai, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning of the Republic of South Sudan provided the opening remarks while Hon. Mary Jervase Yak, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning presented the Aid Strategy Principles and Benchmarks. The Honourable Minister of Finance and Economic Planning noted that the new Aid Strategy represented the collective vision of the government in managing development assistance for the next five years. He stressed the importance of ensuring that the government ‘is in the driving seat’

The purpose of the Aid strategy is to provide a framework for the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and development partners to improve the effectiveness of development assistance and humanitarian aid delivery in South Sudan, by aligning funding to the government’s priorities. Aid Strategy is the principle on which development aid to South Sudan should be based, and it is the benchmarks for the aid delivery which will measure the extent to which aid is aligned with the government priorities. The government aims for development partners to increasingly support government systems over the next five years.

Development assistance to South Sudan should be government owned and led to ensure that aid promotes institutional development and aligned with government policies as set out in the South Sudan Development Plan and budget sector plans.

The workshop was attended by the diplomatic community and development partners who commended the Government for the Aid Strategy, noting their agreement with the principles set out in the presentation. Most specifically the development partners agreed that ownership of aid programmes by the Government was essential.

END