African Union head Moussa Faki Mahamat on Monday criticised member states for a lack of solidarity shown to nations on the continent who are facing famine and drought. His comments came as heads of state gathered at the union’s headquarters in the Ethiopian capital for a bi-annual meeting as fears rise of mass starvation because … Read more
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, will travel to South Sudan to witness first-hand the situation in the country, including the severe food crisis affecting close to half the population. An armed conflict is still raging in South Sudan, which is one of the countries most affected by ongoing food crises … Read more
The United Nations on Saturday called for a halt to fighting in South Sudan after the government launched a new offensive earlier this week. South Sudanese government forces targeted a town in the north on Wednesday, displacing civilians the UN said may be headed toward the border with Sudan. “We are disturbed by the escalation … Read more
South Sudanese government forces on Wednesday launched an offensive on a town in the north, displacing civilians who may be headed toward the border with Sudan, the UN envoy said. Some 50,000 people in Kodok in Upper Nile state, many of whom fled fighting six weeks ago in the town of Wau Shilluk, were at … Read more
The United States on Tuesday urged the divided UN Security Council to back an arms embargo and sanctions against South Sudan after the UN envoy reported that the war there is worsening. US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council that UN demands for a ceasefire, access for aid workers and a return to political talks … Read more
Sudan’s powerful security agency on Monday accused breakaway South Sudan of staging talks with rebels fighting Khartoum’s forces in two southern states, with the goal of “extending the war” there. In a statement, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) said South Sudanese President Salwa Kiir, his deputy Taban Deng and top army commanders held … Read more
The government of South Sudan is spending its oil revenue on weapons, even as the country descends into a famine largely caused by Juba’s military operations, according to a confidential United Nations report. The report by a panel of experts, whose findings were dismissed by South Sudan’s goverment, calls for an arms embargo on the … Read more
UN human rights experts called on Monday for an international investigation into horrific abuses committed in South Sudan, reiterating warnings of “ethnic cleansing” in the war-ravaged country. In a report, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan voiced alarm at the “massive increase in gross human rights violations and abuses” in recent months. … Read more
The United Nations has documented 217 victims of rape by South Sudanese government and rival forces since the beginning of renewed fighting in July 2016 that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people. A report released by the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) on Monday accused the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and … Read more
The United States proposed on Friday that the United Nations Security Council blacklist South Sudan opposition figure Riek Machar, South Sudan army chief Paul Malong and South Sudan Information Minister Michael Makuei. The United States circulated the three names to the 15-member council in an annex, seen by Reuters, to a draft resolution that would … Read more
The United Nations warned yesterday that all those leading and perpetrating hostilities and acts of violence against civilians, UN and humanitarian personnel, assets and premises may face war crime charges. The international community, through its wide-ranging security, legal and human rights mechanisms, will be carefully monitoring developments in the coming days precisely in order to … Read more
The United Nations’ top human-rights official has accused South Sudanese government troops and rebels of ethnically targeted atrocities, including extrajudicial executions and rapes, during renewed fighting over the last month. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said on Thursday that preliminary findings showed that the majority of crimes were carried … Read more
A United Nations cargo helicopter crashed Tuesday in the north part of South Sudan, killing three crew members and injuring another, a UN spokesman told reporters here. “The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has confirmed that three crew members of a helicopter contracted by the United Nations died today when it crashed near … Read more