National News Archives - Page 10 of 313

P.8 results likely to delay as papers arrived marking center late

The Ministry of General Education and Instruction has blamed the delay in the marking of the Certificate of Primary Education Examination papers on constraints in returning the written examination papers to Juba.

The ministry has already announced that the new academic year calendar will commence on February 05, 2024, but the marking of the papers is still ongoing.

It’s not clear when the marking will finish but the ministry says, it’s trying its best to ensure senior-one students are not late for classes like in the previous years.

Deputy Minister Martin Tako attributes the delay in the marking of the examinations to challenges in returning the papers from some locations in the country.

“The obstacle is so huge, it was not easy to bring the written papers, it was very difficult. People had to make plans, and we had no money to do this,” he said.

He cited Greater Pibor, Ruweng, Raja, and Northern Upper Nile States as areas faced with difficulties in returning the papers.

Tako applauds the partners and the national army for flying back the papers to Juba for marking.

“We had to appeal to our partners and our national army, they had to give us helicopters and other planes to bring back the written examination papers from Greater Pibor Area, Ruweng, Raja, and Northern Upper Nile, it was not easy.

“It took time, it took almost two weeks for these written papers to come back for marking, and that’s why the marking delays,” he said.

In December last year, about 60,000 pupils sat for their Primary Leaving Examination across South Sudan on Monday morning.

Bank of South Sudan highlights Dr Alic’s 100-day performance

The governor of the Bank of South Sudan has made remarkable achievements in his first 100 days in office, according to the bank’s official website. Continue reading Bank of South Sudan highlights Dr Alic’s 100-day performance

BoSS to triple foreign exchange auctions next week

The Bank of South Sudan says it will triple the foreign exchange auctions to commercial banks and Forex Bureaus starting next week.

The undisclosed amount of money is in a bid to stabilize the foreign exchange market.

In a press release signed by the governor, Dr. James Alic Garang, the central bank says the new measures are due to the seasonality factor, as schools open in the region and public demand for foreign exchange picks up.

The country’s financial regulator says the policy direction is intended to reduce the pressure on the domestic currency, the SSP, and stabilize the general price level.

On the monetary policy, “the bank announced that it will strengthen the capacity to deploy effective instruments, targeting money supply through the issuance of more regulations and guidelines over liquidity management and reserve requirements.”

It added that “in collaboration with the fiscal authorities, the bank will re-introduce short-term debt instruments with commensurate returns.’

Commensurate return is actual money payment or documentation of money spent on the client’s behalf.

The central bank went on to say “it would neither tolerate unscrupulous actions nor hesitate to bring serious sanctions on offenders as it rolls out the new measures.”

It also encouraged market participants to assist in ensuring that the new measures engender the preservation of its external reserves, the stability of the country’s financial system, and the growth of the economy.

The central bank has since been using the auction policy, which has been criticized by some economists, in a bid to rescue weakening pounds that have sent commodity prices skyrocketing.

It believes that the auction of hard currency to both the forex bureaus and commercial banks is likely to prevent further depreciation of the South Sudanese pound against the U.S. dollar.

According to the Central Bank’s official Facebook page, as of today, 100 dollars sells at 110,000 pounds.

Prisoners at crowded Juba prison die of suffocation, says official

At least two inmates on a trial list have suffocated to death this month due to overcrowding at Juba National Prison, according to Director of the facility.

The Prison built in 1940 with the capacity to accommodate 500 inmates is now a home to 2838 convicts and suspects awaiting trial.

There are 937 convicts including 190 on death row and 1816 awaiting trial.

” Some cases of death occur among the waiting inmates who are the majority, but there are two cases (this month). Many cases of suffocation occur to inmates due to overcrowding in the prison,” 1^st Lieutenant General, Atok Atem Barack told Eye Radio during an inspection visit to the inmates by the Ministers of Justice and Interior on Monday.

Gen. Atems said the severe crowding has also put inmates under psychological stress -with many, suffering from hygiene-related illnesses.

“They are waiting for the trial procedures, which may take a long time, and they know that they will be executed, which leads to the creation of a psychological condition and physical diseases that lead to death.”

General Atem added that there are some suspects whose prison orders haven’t been renewed since 2020 and he called on the court authorities and the prosecutors to cooperate in renewing the prison order.

Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa appoints Ambassador to S. Sudan

Zimbabwean President Mnangagwa has appointed Kossam Mupezeni as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of South Sudan, a local media has reported. Continue reading Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa appoints Ambassador to S. Sudan

What Gatdor Gai, exceptional South Sudanese in 2023 KCSE results dreams of

Gatdor Gai Reat, one of the exceptional South Sudanese who scooped an A in the recently released Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) aspires to study medicine at Havard University, one of the top prestigious universities in the United States of America. Continue reading What Gatdor Gai, exceptional South Sudanese in 2023 KCSE results dreams of

25 suspected gangs arrested with illicit drugs, machetes

Police in Juba have detained 25 individuals suspected of affiliation with a local gang group following a search in the Loglogo suburb of Juba City on Tuesday.

The apprehended individuals were found in possession of illicit drugs, machetes, and banned liquor locally dubbed as ‘Jena Fa’ar’.

Maj General Daniel Justin who is the spokesperson of the National Police Service repeated the force’s solid commitment to combatting criminal activities.

The last crackdown is part of a continued initiative launched last year under the directive of the Inspector General of the Police General Atem Marol to curb crimes across the country.

General Justin stressed the continuous dedication to taking stringent measures against criminals.

“As part of our efforts that we started before the new year to crack down on criminal activities, early on Tuesday, we managed to apprehend 24 suspects in the Loglogo area in possession of drugs, machetes liquor among other things they use in their criminal activities,” he said on state-owned SSBC TV on Tuesday.

Last year, the Inspector General of Police ordered 21 days of operation to bring an end to gang-related crimes in the country.

Young man handed 5-year jail term for defiling minor girl in Juba

The Gender-Based Violence Court in Juba has sentenced a 22-year-old man to five years imprisonment for defiling a minor girl in Juba about mid-last year.

According to the Court verdict file Eye Radio got access to on Tuesday, the presiding judge Andrew Jushow Ladu found Laku Mundria Laku guilty of committing the crime in May 2023.

A photo of the unnamed victim was found in the convict’s phone, according to a prosecutor’s attestation.

During the court session, convict Laku argued that the girl told him she was 19 years old when they met.

However, before the verdict, convict Laku was said to have confessed the wrongdoing after 5 months of deliberations in the court over the case.

According to Judge Lado, Laku violated section 247 of the South Sudan 2008 Penal Act and was fined SSP 1M in reparation to the victim.

Troika countries urge unity govt to reject violence, embrace democracy

The Embassies of the UK, Norway, and the United States have urged South Sudan leaders to embrace peace and people’s right to a government that is responsive to their needs as opposed to a small elite.

The Western embassies issued a joint statement on Tuesday following a meeting with Minister of Presidential Affairs Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation James Pitia Morgan on Monday.

The trio said their “engagement to support the people of what is today South Sudan began decades ago, and was based on values including peace, human rights, democracy, and people’s right to a government that is responsive to their needs, and not to that of a small elite.”

They stressed the need for the leaders to “the steps necessary to hold free, fair, and peaceful elections by December this year to demonstrate a shared foundational value in their bilateral relationships.”

The embassies also urged the leaders to reject violence as a tool for competition.

They further stated that “another way to demonstrate alignment with the foundational values in our bilateral relationships would be for the transitional government to start using public revenue transparently to meet public needs.”

“This includes funding for humanitarian support for returnees from Sudan, the health sector, education, and other basic services as well as for consistent salary payments to security personnel and civil servants and funding for necessary electoral institutions.”

According to the embassies, they now look for signs that these priorities are shared by South Sudan’s leaders while warning history will judge them.

Several S. Sudanese students shine 2023 KCSE Exams

Several South Sudanese students in Kenya are celebrating their outstanding performances in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results.

The Kenya Education Cabinet Secretary unveiled the results on Monday.

Maria Budier Samson, 21, and Dau Atem Dau are among the standout performers with both securing A-minuses in the examinations.

Maria, a student of Moi Girls Isinya, excelled with an A in Mathematics, an A in CRE, an A in Kiswahili, and an A- in chemistry, among other subjects.

Dau, 18, who hails from Nanyuki High School, demonstrated proficiency in Mathematics, Building Construction, and Chemistry, with an A- in Kiswahili, and other subjects.

In an interview with Eye Radio, Maria says she was surprised at the results.

“ I did not know the results would be released on Monday. In the morning, I was so worried, and I woke up very early anxious about the results being announced.

“My friend sent me a link and I checked on my results. When I saw an A-, I jumped around so excited, I couldn’t believe it. I was not expecting that. I am grateful to God. ”

Maria attributes her success to relentless hard work and dedication citing hours of intense reading, revising past papers, and participating in online classes and group discussions.

According to Maria, her uncle played a pivotal role in making her thrive in the exams by providing her with revision materials.

As Maria envisions being a pediatrician to address the health issues of South Sudanese children, she sends a powerful message to young girls back home.

“Aa girl, you can also make it, what a man can do a woman can do it better. In our current situation, our girls should not give up.

‘We need to better our country by rising. If we do it together, everything will be possible. But we should be the people to motivate ourselves. If you want to succeed you need to make the decision not to let others push you, you need the push yourself.

‘Again to all the girls, everything is possible and can be done if you have a goal.”

For Dau, despite obtaining an A-minus with an 80% passing mark, he expressed some disappointment as he expected more than that.

He was sent home three weeks before exams due to unpaid school fees.

“A challenge that I felt affected me was last year. In my last term, three weeks before we sat for exams, I was chased home because of no school fees.

“I came home and stayed for about a week because I had no fees. People continued with their studies and I felt a little bit behind I had to catch up again, also afraid of exams because they were near. Also finding someone to fund my studies all through.”

Despite this hurdle, Dau overcame the challenge to shine in the exams.

He expressed his gratitude to his relatives, particularly his aunt and uncle, Dau for the milestone success.

“Mostly it was my aunt and uncle. I would like to thank them for what they did, if it was not because of them, I don’t think I would have scored that grade.”

Both students hope to secure scholarships to pursue pediatric medicine and mechanical engineering abroad respectively.