South Sudan’s Higher Education Minister Gabriel Changson Chang has requested members of the national council for the institution to approve four new technical institutes in the country. Continue reading “Higher Education Ministry reguests endorsement of new polytechnics”
Author: Memoscar Lasuba
Uganda plans $150m China loan to improve its internet
Uganda’s finance ministry has announced plans to borrow a $150m (£118m) loan from China’s Exim bank to develop the country’s internet infrastructure.
Uganda’s ICT minister and junior finance minister presented the proposal on Monday to the parliamentary committee on national economy.
The move highlights Uganda’s growing reliance on China for funding after the World Bank, one of its largest funders, suspended funding in August due to Uganda’s adoption of a contentious anti-homosexuality law.
Uganda previously took out a controversial $200m loan from the Chinese bank to expand the Entebbe International Airport.
The loan has been criticized by some as imposing exploitative terms on Uganda.
Uganda is also in talks with Chinese export credit agency Sinosure for a loan to help fund a $5bn pipeline through which Uganda plans to export crude oil to Tanzania.
President Kiir relieves three ministers, Warrap Governor
President Salva Kiir relieved three national ministers and the governor of Warrap State in a Republican decree on Monday evening.
They include Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the Minister of Presidential Affairs; Kuol Athian, the Minister for Trade and Industry, Bangasi Joseph Bakasoro, Minister of Public Service and, Manhiem Bol, the Governor of Warrap State.
In a similar decree read on the state-owned TV, SSBC on Monday evening, Kiir appointed Dak Duop Bichiok as the Minister of Public Service, and Bangasi Joseph Bakasoro, the Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Kuol Muor Muor as Warrap State Governor.
The changes come as the Office of the President is set to host the 7th governor’s forum this week.
Youth Minister directs SSBF to hold elections within 60 days to avoid FIBA ban
The Minister of Youth and Sports has given the South Sudan Basketball Federation and the National Commission for Registration of Youth and Sports bodies till February 28, 2024, to conduct elections or risk being banned by FIBA.
Continue reading “Youth Minister directs SSBF to hold elections within 60 days to avoid FIBA ban”
SSBF dismisses Luol suspension statement, cites under probe officials behind move
South Sudan Basketball Federation has dismissed statements that the president was suspended by the general assembly.
On Thursday, a delegate Andrew Makuei, who spoke on behalf of the SSBF General Assembly said the General Assembly of the South Sudan Basketball Federation suspended basketball star president, Luol Deng, over his alleged failure to respond to a meeting call as his four-year tenure came to an end on Friday.
“The extraordinary general assembly made a resolution to suspend and further investigation to our president Luol Deng to respond to the assembly and also give us a report of the four years of being in the office,” he said
Asked about the way forward, should the President fail to appear before the general assembly, Makuei said, the institution would proceed to elect a new president.
“So, in case of him not coming, we have already passed names for the electoral committee, so we will be going on with our process of starting elections.”
“His term is coming to an end and our constitution, says a person is supposed to stay in office for four years, but after four years, we are supposed to start a new governing body.”
“This is a democratic country, so everyone has the right regardless of their state, you have the right to do what you are intended to do as a citizen of South Sudan. So, without him responding to us, we will take another step because he’s not the last guy.”
In a press statement released on Friday, the federation disregarded the reports and said “ Luol Deng remains the national president of the federation until further notice as per the directives of the new minister of Youth and Sports to put the elections on hold.”
The statement alleges the secretary-general and finance secretary who organized the said general assembly meeting were both suspended by the president in July 2022.
National Archives gets $178,000 in Norway funding
The Norwegian Embassy in Juba has contributed an additional 178,000 US dollars to South Sudan’s National Archives to support the complete digitization and preservation of the country’s historical records.
The Embassy signed a deal with the Rift Valley Institute as the implementing partner on Tuesday.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Lars Petter Henie, Charge de’ Affairs of the Norwegian Embassy says the grant reaffirms the country’s commitment to ensuring good governance, stability, and peace in South Sudan.
Henie described the national archives as the hesitate of South Sudan, adding that the grant support will help strengthen the effective functioning of the institution.
“We are pleased to continue this cooperation, which began in 2012, following our Crown Prince’s pledge of support to the National Archives on 9 July 2011 as an independence gift.
“We are now moving further with a big step towards the construction of the National Archives Building. This support will strengthen the effective functioning of the National Archives as an institution,” he said.
About 60 % of the documents at the national archives have been digitalized through similar grants.
On his part, Youseff Onyalla, Director General of the National Archives thanked the Norwegian Government for the additional support to the National Archives, saying this will enable the institute to complete the remaining 40 percent of archival materials.
These include fragile documents, manuscripts, historical maps, and other vital archival materials.
SSPDF denies involvement in Abyei deadly attack
South Sudan’s People’s Defence Forces has denied allegations that its Division 3rd Infantry under the command of Maj Gen Akuei Ajou carried out the recent fatal attacks on the Abyei Area.
The BBC cited Sultaan Bulabek, the leader of the nine chiefdoms in Abyei as saying soldiers carried out coordinated attacks in several villages alongside armed youth from the Twic county of Warrap state.
He claimed that the attack was meant to push the Ngok community out of their homes.
In response to the allegation, the SSPDF also refutes claims it troops were involved in the attack.
It also denied claims that the forces were operating within the Abyei Box in violation of the Agreement both Sudan and South Sudan committed to.
“We are not involved in the ongoing clashes at all. The accusations labeled against the SSPF and the commander of the SSPDF 3rd Infantry Division are not substantive,” said Major General Lul Ruai Koang.
The response also comes after the embassies of Norway, the UK, and the US urged South Sudan to pull out its troops from Abyei to prevent further escalation of the violence.
The Western Country embassies cited a UNISFA report, which Eye Radio could not independently verify.
Gen. Lul went on to say, “The report that we engaged with UNISFA is not true. Our chief of defense forces was engaged with the Commander of UNISFA and there was a clear indication that our forces did not engage with UNISFA. We are not allowed to operate within Abyei Box. That is what the agreement said, and we are standing by it.
“The joint force was deployed outside of the Abyei box to act as a buffer zone between the rival groups and to ensure that the road connecting the two regions is not cut off by criminals and others, he added.
Warrap Governor launches probe into shooting at peace rally
The governor of Warrap State has mandated a five-member fact-finding committee to investigate the random shooting that occurred during a peace rally in Gogrial East County on Saturday.
In a Gubernatorial order dated 21, the committee is headed by Brigadier General Awuou Nyariel, deputized by Lieutenant Colonel Kuol Mawien Kuol alongside Molana Akol Makuei as the secretary, is tasked to find the root cause of the random shooting.
“H.E. Brig. Gen. Mahiem Bol Malek, the governor of Warrap State issued a Gubernatorial order forming a fact-finding committee to investigate what was the root cause of the random shooting, and the killing of innocent civilians including those who were alleged to be reporting from the scene of the Matlel peace random shooting and interruption of the peace rally,” said spokesperson William Wol.
The decision on Tuesday came after an unknown group of armed men opened fire disrupting the peace event – that aimed to resolve the conflict that erupted earlier this month between the Apuk Giir of Warrap and the Marial-bai community of Jur River County in Western Bahr El Ghazal State.
The incident according to the Minister, prompted some youths to run into houses and pick up firearms including AK-47 rifles and machine guns to protect a delegation’s convoy.
The incident forced the officials and peace delegations to run into the vehicles to make inquiries about the attack.
The committee is directed to get first-hand accounts from relevant witnesses including a woman who claimed that the shooting was initiated by armed youth from Western Bahr el Ghazal.
It is also expected to recommend the necessary means to be taken by the state government towards the issue.
No peacekeeper killed in Abyei attacks, says UNISFA
The United Nations Interim Force for Abyei has dismissed a statement that one of its peacekeepers was killed during the recent attacks in the region.
On Monday, Abyei Information Minister Bolis Kuoch told Eye Radio that 32 people were killed including a United Nations peacekeeper during Sunday morning’s attacks on the Abyei Administrative Area.
The Administrative Area Spokesperson said 20 others were wounded in the attacks on Rum Ameer and Aleel counties.
Contrary to the report, UNISFA said, 27 people were killed but no peacekeeper was among the casualties.
UNISFA, condemned the attacks by a group of armed youths on villages in the area around Angath, Wunpeth, and Korioch in the Abyei Administrative Area.
Speaking to Eye Radio in an exclusive interview this morning, UNISFA’s spokesperson Daniel Adekera added that there was no peacekeeper or civilian killed or wounded.
“No peacekeeper has been killed no peacekeeper has wounded, we have our Ghanaian battalion deployed in that area.
“We have confirmed from the battalion commander and the military observers that no UNISFA military or civilian was wounded or killed in the attack,” he said.
Adekera said that following the attacks, UNISFA beefed up security in the affected areas by intensifying patrols and closely monitoring the situation.
According to him, calm has returned to the areas.
“As of now, the situation is just calm but unpredictable which is normal in most conflict areas.
“We have increased patrols and the area surveillance we are doing both night and day patrols to ensure that there are no further escalations of the conflict.”
Mr Adekera added that UNISFA’s leadership is currently engaging with the Abyei Area Administration and Ngok Dinka traditional leaderships as well as stakeholders in Juba to ensure peace and security are maintained in the Abyei area.
Car crash on Hiyala-Torit road leaves 3 dead, 22 injured
At least three people have died, and over 20 others injured after a passenger car overturned along Eastern Equatoria’s Hiyala-Torit road on Tuesday.
That’s according to Brigadier General Louise Idenge Onorio who is the state’s Deputy Director of Traffic Police
General Onorio told Eye Radio this morning incident involving a Toyota land-cruiser bearing number plate SSD 57 AT, happened on Tuesday afternoon.
The dead include a 30-year-old woman, a teenage girl, and a 5-month-old baby.
“The incident happened yesterday [Tuesday] at 02:31 pm. The dead are three, there is a woman 50 years old, a girl, 14, years old, and a child of five months, these are the people who died and 22 were injured.
The traffic police officer says the injured were taken to Torit civil hospital where they are currently receiving.
“The injured are receiving treatment at Torit Civil Hospital, they were coming from Loki to Torit and when reaching between Jalla and Hiyala, it overturned,” he confirmed.
General Onorio attributed the accident to the poor condition of the road.
“You see that road, there are a lot of Potholes, the driver didn’t see the hole, and the car entered and overturned,” he added.
