Ghana’s Police Service has served notice it will dismiss any of its personnel accused of sexual exploitation in South Sudan if found guilty after investigations. The Service says it has written to the UN to grant it permission to send a team from Ghana to South Sudan to have firsthand information about the sexual scandal … Read more
The Ghana Police Service has requested the United Nations to permit a three-member team to be immediately deployed to Wau in South Sudan “for a better understanding” of sexual abuse and exploitation claims against its peacekeeping officers. A preliminary investigative report by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) cites Ghana’s Formed Police Unit … Read more
Thouk Reath, 19, was recovering from a leg amputation after being shot in fighting in northeastern South Sudan when the clinic he was in had to be evacuated because of approaching gunfire. Patients and doctors at the clinic in the town of Maiwut risked being caught up in an army offensive closing in on the … Read more
South Sudan government forces have launched an offensive towards a rebel stronghold in the north of the country, the UN said Wednesday. David Shearer, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), described “heavy fighting” and an “extremely worrying” situation in the area around the town of Pagak in the Upper Nile region in … Read more
A South Sudan military court on Tuesday opened the trial of 13 soldiers accused of raping foreign aid workers and murdering a local journalist during fighting in Juba last July. The chilling attack cast a spotlight on atrocities by government troops but also led to a damning probe into the failure of United Nations peacekeepers … Read more
Ghanaian peacekeepers have been praised by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for foiling an attack at a United Nations (UN) protection site in Leer town of former Unity State on Wednesday. The attack which occurred between 11pm and midnight on Wednesday at the Mission’s Temporary Operating Base (TOB) has been strongly condemned … Read more
The UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan said Thursday it had repelled a “callous” attack by armed assailants on a base in the north of the country. The attackers struck late Wednesday on a temporary base operated by Ghanian forces for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), next to a camp for people … Read more
About 400 British soldiers will join the UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan in the next weeks in one of Britain’s largest operational deployments worldwide, the force said Tuesday. A statement said the first of the British troops, “proudly wearing their distinctive blue UN berets, arrives in Juba today to join the United Nations Mission … Read more
At least 16 civilians were killed in fighting Monday between government troops and rebels in South Sudan’s second-largest city Wau, the United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) said in a statement. The violence stemmed from an ambush Sunday of government troops near the city, leading to clashes in the city the following day, UNMISS said. “The … Read more
More than 6,000 people have fled fighting in southern South Sudan, with refugees recounting the slaughter of civilians by armed forces, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday. Fighting between government forces and rebels erupted on Monday in the town of Pajok in the country’s southern Equatoria region, a previously peaceful part of the country … Read more
UN peacekeepers in South Sudan say they have twice been prevented from accessing the town of Pajok, where the army is accused of killing civilians. The peacekeepers say they are concerned about reports of fighting and attacks on civilians. They are calling to be allowed to visit the area in the south of the country. … Read more
Swift, well-coordinated actions by different components of UNMISS saw two separate outbreaks of fire in the Bentiu protection of civilians site being taken care of without any resulting deaths or injuries. The fires, occurring over the weekend, destroyed a total of 117 shelters. “The coordination between different components of UNMISS was really commendable and that … 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 South Sudan government has agreed to accept the deployment of a UN-mandated regional force in Juba, a spokesman said, after months of hesitation over whether to allow extra foreign troops on its soil. Deputy Information Minister Akol Paul Kordit said late on Friday that the “cabinet has resolved unanimously to allow the deployment of … Read more
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sacked the commander of a peacekeeping force in South Sudan following a damning report that accused the blue helmets of failing to protect civilians during an outbreak of violence in July. The report from a UN special investigation found that a lack of leadership in the UN mission, known as … Read more
The UN has warned of increasing violence in South Sudan as the government was forced to publicly dismiss rumours of President Salva Kiir’s death to quell rising tensions. The UN said it was being denied access to parts of the country where fighting has erupted and condemned “in no uncertain terms these acts of violence … 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