The leader of the South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPM/A) Gen Stephen Buay Rolnyang requested to pull out from the Kenya-mediated peace negotiation on Monday over an alleged plot to assassinate him. Continue reading Gen Buay asks to quit Nairobi peace talks over security concerns
Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi killed in helicopter crash
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border on Sunday, Reuters reported citing officials and state media.
A provincial governor and other officials who were also on board during the crash that occurred at 1 PM local time, are presumed dead.
While an official cause of the accident has not been determined, it was initially reported that the chopper had a rough landing due to bad weather and heavy fog in the area.
Rescue teams had searched through dense forest for more than 12 hours, at times calling off the search due to the fierce weather.
Raisi, who is believed to be the potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had traveled to the country’s border with Azerbaijan, where he jointly inaugurated a new dam with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
“President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash,” a senior Iranian official who allegedly refused to be named told Reuters.
State TV reported that images from the site showed the aircraft slammed into a mountain peak, although there was no official word on the cause of the crash, Reuters reported.
Raisi 63, was elected president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.
VP Igga, Governor Jadalla reconcile for second time
Vice President Dr James Wani Igga and the newly appointed Governor of Central Equatoria State Agustino Jadalla have reportedly reconciled their political differences for the second time to put an end to division among the Bari sections.
The reconciliation held on Friday was mediated by SPLM’s 2nd Deputy Chairman Daniel Awet, and Mary Apayi who is the party’s 2nd Deputy Secretary General for Administration and Finance, the Vice President’s press unit has reported.
Similar reconciliation was held in September 2021 when the Catholic and Episcopal Churches brought the two leaders together of political differences causing disunity within the Bari Community.
Due to the rift, the Bari cultural groups had for the past two years commemorated their founding father Jubek separately.
In February last year, dispute re-emerged during a memorial prayer of Late Alfred Keri Yoke, prompting former Juba County commissioner Charles Josepha Wani to close down the Bari Association, a decision the Chairman of Bari Community, Stephen Pitia Laku had described as politically motivated, and unconstitutional.
The office of the Vice President views the latest reconciliation as testament of true reconciliation and a symbol of Unity and Love to the Bari Community, Central Equatoria State, the SPLM at State level.
DR Congo army says it has foiled attempted coup
The Democratic Republic of Congo army says it has quashed an attempted coup against President Felix Tshikedi in the capital Kinshasa involving Congolese and foreign fighters.
DR Congo army spokesperson Brig Gen Sylavin Ekenge said on the state-run broadcaster RTNC TV that several suspects have been detained and the “situation is now under control”.
His statement comes hours after armed men attacked the house of Vital Kamerhe, the former chief of staff and close ally to President Tshisekedi early on Sunday morning.
Witnesses say a group of about 20 assailants in army uniform attacked the residence and an exchange of gunfire followed.
Two guards and an assailant were killed in the attack on Mr Kamerhe’s house, his spokesman and the Japanese ambassador said in posts on X.
The men also occupied the Palais de la Nation, the office of the President of the Republic which is located in the city centre, a place highly secured by the Republican Guard.
Japan’s ambassador in the Congolese capital has warned nationals not to go out.
President Tshisekedi has not made any public comment on the situation so far.
Local media reports said the assailants were members of the New Zaire Movement linked to formerly-exiled politician Christian Malanga.
The BBC has seen a video of Mr Malanga saying in Lingala, the local language: “We the military are tired, we cannot march together with Vital Kamerhe and President Félix Tshisekedi.”
President Tshisekedi was re-elected for a second term in the disputed elections last year in December. He won about 78% of the vote.
Nearly 20 people were killed in election-related violence in the run-up to the vote.
Congo is a country with vast mineral wealth and a huge population, but despite this life has not improved for most people, with conflict, corruption and poor governance persisting.
Much of the country’s natural resources lie in the east where violence still rages despite Mr Tshisekedi’s attempts to deal with the situation by imposing a state of siege, ceasefire deals and bringing in regional troops.
Sustainable peace is key to alleviating chronic food insecurity in S. Sudan -experts
South Sudanese experts say advancing sustainable peace is fundamental to alleviating the chronic food insecurity in the country.
Citing the 2023 the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in their analysis on the food security situation in the country, published on Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform, Dr Leben Nelson Moro and Tong Deng Anei said, nearly the entire country was classed as being in crisis.
Dr Nelson is Director of International and Alumni Affairs at the University of Juba, and teaches graduate courses in the areas of development, conflict, forced migration and humanitarian affairs at the University’s Center for Peace and Development Studies.
His co-author Anei, currently a consultant with national, International organizations and government, previously worked for United States Agency for International Development, United Nations and government with 20+ years experience helping implement humanitarian assistance programs.
According to them, while several areas were under emergency classification, no area could be considered as facing ‘minimal’ food insecurity.
According to the experts, a significant proportion of the population of South Sudan has faced acute food insecurity over the last five years.
They attribute this to intersecting factors including the protracted conflict, climate change, economic crisis, poor infrastructure and what they term as far away global conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine and the Middle East.
Dr Nelson and his co-author emphasize the need for the government to fully implement the 2018 Revitalized Agreement and support local peace-building beyond only dialogues, including by engaging youth and providing economic opportunities in their communities.
They called for efforts to improve security, to the climate change, to construct sustainable and inclusive infrastructure and to achieve and maintain peace domestically and globally.
The experts also see the urgency in careful natural resource management they say are key to preventing conflicts.
They stress the need for South Sudan and its partners need to invest in the country’s agriculture potential through nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart approaches.
Other considerations include;
“Investing in agriculture, especially subsistence activities that most South Sudanese rely on, can help alleviate chronic food insecurity over the medium- to long-term. In addition to strengthening immediate humanitarian responses, more resources should be committed to bolstering this crucial sector.
“Scaling up investment in agriculture could involve reviewing and potentially resuming paused agricultural schemes as well as establishing new nutrition-sensitive initiatives. Design all efforts to support equitable, sustainable and nutrition-sensitive outcomes that benefit all people, especially the most vulnerable.
“Harnessing South Sudan’s abundant water resources could help boost agriculture and provide access to clean water, if done sustainably and equitably. Water infrastructure projects can be contentious and should be designed carefully in partnership with communities and with social and ecological considerations in mind.
“Strengthening subsistence fishing as well as sustainable aquaculture could improve household food security and nutrition. Interventions such as providing fish preservation equipment and training could help.
“Designing market-based interventions carefully could help get surplus crops and livestock to markets, potentially raising government revenues and reducing poverty. However, this must be approached cautiously to avoid disrupting the subsistence agricultural systems that are crucial for food securhyity, especially among vulnerable populations.
“Building climate-resilient infrastructure, such as flood-resistant roads, in rural areas could support food security. This infrastructure would enable people to move more easily to more food secure areas in times of flood or drought. The roads and other infrastructure would also provide channels for households to move surplus produce to markets and help raise household incomes.
“Introducing climate-smart agricultural practices and crops could help mitigate the increasing flood and drought risks that threaten food production and security. Existing cropping and husbandry practices could be enhanced for example, by integrating flood-resistant rice and drought-resistant yams or cassava, and exploring other adaptive measures.
“Enhancing regional trade and infrastructure connections could help small-scale economic activities that support livelihoods and boost incomes. Key commodities include gum Arabic, cattle, hides and fish that some households already trade on a small-scale basis.
“Investing further in nutrition-sensitive healthcare, especially for pregnant women and young children, is critical. Priorities include enhancing community management of acute malnutrition programmes and nutrition monitoring systems.
Suspect in shooting of Ezo police officer tortured to death
A suspect in the attack on resident of Ezo County Inspector of Police has died after he was allegedly tortured in military garrison in the area on Friday, according to the family.
42 -year-old Justin Bigamu had fled into bush after he was accused of shooting Lieutenant Sergeant Charles Kalisto on 29 April, wounding him in both legs and and killing the officer’s daughter.
Tadeo Justine, a cousin to the deceased said, his late brother Bigamu surrendered himself on Friday after the army phoned him and asked him to come for an investigation.
While in detention at a military garrison, Justine said, suspect Bigamu was beaten until he succumbed to injuries.
Mr. Justine added that the army released his body to family yesterday and was buried this morning.
“In the incident of a police official who was shot and the daughter killed a week ago, the deceased was accused of being behind the attack and murder.
“When he received this news, he became afraid and fled into the forest. When the soldiers arrived at this place (Ezo) , they called him on phone and asked to return and be investigated just to find out who killer was.
“Because he said that he was not the killer, but rather knew who carried out the attack, he returned and met them the day before yesterday (Friday night).
“He was transferred to a military garrison for investigation, but they beat him until he died, and we were handed over his body, and we buried him this (Sunday) morning,” said Justine.
When contacted by Eye Radio for the comment, the spokesperson of SSPDF said he would respond to the matter after receiving report from the area commander.
Efforts to contact Ezo County Commissioner was not immediately successful.
Gai Machiek accused of role in Twic, Ngok conflict is relocated
The spiritual leader who was accused of fueling conflict between neighboring Twic and Ngok dinka communities has been relocated to the border between Warrap and Northern Bahr el Ghazal in accordance with the Presidential order.
“The relocation of the spiritual leader was one of the recommendations to mitigate the inter-communal violence between Ngok and Twic,” according to Warrap State Information Minister William Wol Mayom.
Spiritual leader Gai Machiek was residing in Ajak Kuac Payam, east of Twic County, but the state authorities on Friday moved him to Pannyok Payam west of Twic County.
This came days after a security delegation from Juba led by the Chief of the armed forces, General Santino Deng Wol, visited Twic and Ngok Areas early this month.
“On the 7th of May, a security delegation arrived from Juba and met with Gai Machiek when he proposed to be relocated from Ajak Kuac Payam of Twic County to Pannyok Payam along the Warrap- Northern Bahr el Ghazal border which is far from the conflict area,” said Wol
Gai Machiek left Mayom County in Unity State and took refuge in Ajak Kuac in 2020 during the flood season in Mayom County.
He was accused in a report of involvement in the war between Twic and Abyei which broke out in 2022
In January 2024, President Kiir issued a Presidential order to address the ongoing conflict between Ngok and Twic including cessation of hostilities and expulsion of the spiritual leader.
Eye Radio Intern recites belated poem in commemoration of 16 May
Garang Kuol Mamer, a South Sudanese born has made his reflection on the decades of struggle that culminated into the independence from the then Khartoum regime in 2011. According to Mr Mamer, the attainment of freedom was brought dearly through sacrifices and blood shade, a pride he said, “can’t be claimed by none other than the South Sudanese themselves.”
His poem goes as follows;
“In the Land of South Sudan, proud to show no fear,
We shout aloud to the heroes who fight right here.
On 16 May,
We remember our Army and the Movement displays,
From the sacrifice and sorrow, you stood together,
Heroes and heroines, sons and daughters of the father,
You turned a gag on the ruler,
With courage and determination, you raised the flag.
Truly, the Justice, Liberty and Prosperity of South Sudan, the price you paid with your blood.
Revolts and mutinies you spearheaded,
Weakened the enemy’s missions intended.
Each triumph you won, brought us closer to a nation,
A Sign signifies we are ready for independence.
Truly, the Justice, Liberty and Prosperity of South Sudan, the price you paid with your blood.
Your willpower has contributed to the journey of a wealthy nation,
When terror loomed, you trusted your bravery,
You lost a limb, inherited permanent scars, as many succumbed to them,
Truly, the Justice, Liberty and Prosperity of South Sudan, the price you paid with your blood.
Each victory stood for hope,
Our way to liberation is a bold line.
You were the cranes that led the flock,
In the way of love and guidance, you were the guidebook.
Truly, the Justice, Liberty and Prosperity of South Sudan, the price you paid with your blood.
As we celebrate you, you were devoted to your nation!
We will never forget you, for you live and live on to generations.
Truly, the Justice, Liberty and Prosperity of South Sudan, the price you paid with your blood.”
Who is Garang Kuol Mamer?
Garang Kuol Mamer Atem is a dedicated and highly motivated language professional with over four years of experience in news articles editing, poem,web content creation, and freelance writing.
A masters degree graduate in Security, Conflict and International Development at University of Leicester UK under Sanctuary Scholarship Program, and Rural Development Indira Gandhi National Open University New Delhi India, Kuol has a proven track record in effective communication and public speaking.
His undergraduates studies were in Education, specialized in English Literature from Moi University Kenya, and Science in Agricultural Economics and Resource Management from the same University .
Kapoeta East commissioner calls for more police force
Authorities in Kapoeta East County of Eastern Equatoria State are calling for deployment of more police force after armed youth from neighboring Turkana attacked the area last week.
Angelo Abdalla who is the County Commissioner told Eye Radio Saturday morning that armed militias from Turkan attacked Narus and New site. He said two of the assailants were killed in the raid.
Abdalla also warns of a looming attack by armed Murle Youth he said, are currently mobilizing themselves in a dessert area between the county and Boma County of Greater Pibor.
According to the county official, the police and army forces in the area are not sufficient to protect the locals, citing the county is too large.
“The entire Kapoeta County has a very small force, and the border police is only within the limits of one or three platoons.
“So, the largest County in a state does not have a sufficient army, even the New Site area to control security, and even the police is not there
“We expected that the peace agreement unifies the army so that this force could protect citizens.”
Commissioner Abdalla added that the heads of SSPDF and police forces in the County do not have vehicles to facilitate the movement in the area.
“I also want to inform you that the area commander of SSPDF has no Car, the director of Police has no Car and even myself, I don’t has no a car.”
Last month, dozens of locals were killed in Kapoeta East County by armed youth from Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
US won’t commit financial resources to S. Sudan elections without actions, says Envoy
The United States government will not commit its financial resources to support South Sudan December 2024 general elections, US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa has said.
Mike Hammer made the remarks during the launch of the high-level peace negotiation between the unity government and the none-signatory groups in Nairobi, Kenya.
The US envoy said that before South Sudan transitioned to democracy, Juba must uphold respect for human rights and be responsive to the needs of it citizens for sustainable peace in the country.
Mr. Hammer said despite the leaders making more promises, the 2018 peace agreement has not been implemented even after extending the process for another two years.
He urged South Sudan’s leaders to fulfill their responsibilities, and devote financial resources to supporting its electoral institutions and conduct free, fair, and credible elections, adding that the US will not commit financial assistance to support the electoral process in South Sudan.
“Absent of urgent action from the transition government will send the wrong message. We will not support any electoral process. For the election process to be credible, we must see the South Sudan government developing its resources to support electoral institutions they have established.”
The Envoy said the United States stands behind Kenya’s mediation efforts in the peace negotiation between the unity government and the none-signatory groups -something he believes represents an opportunity for the parties to cease war.
While thanking the Kenyan leadership for enabling the US participation in the process, he expressed his confidence in President Ruto’s mediation team’s support in managing the Nairobi peace talks.
“”We greatly appreciate being included in this mediation effort as observers and look forward to working with Kenya on another important regional peace-building effort.
“We share with partners in the region a set of fundamental priorities and values regarding South Sudan, first and foremost, peace.”
“We are confident that President Ruto and his mediating team can manage an inclusive process that can re-invigorate the peace agreement in support of South Sudan’s establishment of peace.”
However, the Ambassador said the region can be held accountable for the conflict, saying the people of South Sudan have been yearning to see their expectations are met.