Day: March 15, 2023

The Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) on Tuesday evening said two more journalists who work for the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Cooperation (SSBC) have been released from the National Security Service’s detention facility.

Oyet Patrick, the UJOSS president, told Radio Tamazuj that Victor Ladu and Mustafa Osman were unconditionally released earlier in the day leaving two journalists, Garang John and Jacob Benjamin, still in detention.

“No condition really like the other three that were released before. You know these people were taken from SSBC, so what happened is that the National Security brought them back to SSBC management,” he explained. “They (NSS) then said that they had taken the journalists because they were being investigated and now they are back. That means they do not have a case to answer.”

The Internal Security Bureau (ISB) of the NSS in January arrested seven SSBC journalists in connection with a video that went viral which shows President Salva Kiir, 71, wetting his trousers at an official function last December.

Six of the journalists were arrested on 3 and 4 January before another SSBC journalist, Garang John, was also taken on the same issue in late January 2023.

Three of the detained journalists were released in February without due process.

Oyet called on the government to release the remaining two journalists or arraign them before a court if they have a case to answer.

“The people who are under detention should be released and if the government believes that they have a case to answer, they should take them to court,” he said.

According to the UJOSS President, the detention of journalists stifles press freedom in South Sudan.

“The continuous detention of journalists does not play well for press freedom. The last time a journalist died in this country was in 2017 when the American Journalist Christopher Allen was killed in Kaya,” Oyet said. “From that time up to now, the situation has been a little bit okay, and even the creation of media authority has helped because we now have somebody to turn to.”

South Sudan’s Constitution prohibits authorities from holding suspects for more than 24 hours without taking them to court.

When reached for comment on the due process for investigation, Tong John, an Advocate in Juba said some suspects can be released without being taken to court depending on the nature of the case a suspect is accused of.

“I believe that from the investigations, it turns out they (journalists) do not have anything to do with whatever happened so it is not a matter of only being taken to court,” he explained. “Sometimes investigation takes longer, especially in such cases like what happened at SSBC.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj

A total of 88 nurses and nurse aides working at the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) health facilities have graduated from its Academy for Healthcare program in Lankien in Nyirol County, Jonglei State after two years of study and clinical training.

These learners were trained on 82 skills through 5 modules and 40 units on basic clinical nursing care and will be providing essential medical care in the MSF hospital in Lankien to the local communities, a press release said.

A special ceremony organized in Lankien on Monday 13 March was attended by the learners and members of their families, tutors, mentors, and representatives of MSF and both state and national health ministries for the award of certificates to the graduates.

Working in collaboration with the national health ministry, the MSF Academy for Healthcare initiated its program in South Sudan and the Abyei Special Administrative Area in 2019.

“I congratulate the new group of graduates from Lankien. Their skills and role will be very crucial to help MSF provide quality care to the people of Lankien and surrounding areas,” said Serviour Dombojena, the Country Representative of MSF Academy for Healthcare in South Sudan. “MSF Academy was set up to strengthen the skills and capacities of project teams when it comes to the provision of quality healthcare. It is a two-year training program based on three pillars: competency-based curriculums, workplace training, and clinical mentoring.”

Decades of conflict and underinvestment in healthcare in South Sudan have resulted in severe shortages of health infrastructure and qualified doctors, nurses, and midwives. Education and training for healthcare workers are also limited and difficult to access.

MSF says it employs over 3,000 staff in South Sudan 90 percent of who are recruited locally. To ensure the provision of quality care for the patients according to MSF medical expertise and standard of practice, the organization has been investing in training.

“The learning from the academy has made a great impact on me. I learned a lot of skills that I never practiced before,” said Changkuoth Yoal, a nurse aide, who is among the 88 graduates from Lankien. “In 2014, my mother was treated for Kala Azar at an MSF medical facility. Her recovery inspired me to become a medical professional and save the lives of the people.”

“This learning is a step towards achieving my dream of helping the community as a healthcare worker,” he added.

It is the second batch of learners who graduated from the MSF Academy in South Sudan. A total of 35 healthcare workers graduated from Old Fangak last year. There is another group of more than 100 students enrolled in the MSF Academy’s basic curriculum for nursing care, and 27 in its outpatient department curriculum.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

South Sudan’s First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny on Wednesday unveiled a new official portrait of President Salva Kiir Mayardit to be used in all public offices in the country.

The new portrait seen by Radio Tamazuj depicts President Salva Kiir donned in a blue suit, with a red tie and his trademark black hat and the South Sudan flag in the background.

Speaking during the ceremony to unveil the official portrait, Dr. Machar urged the members of the public and government officials to display it in all public offices.

“In our offices, whether the government offices or in the private sector, this is the portrait you are expected to display and I hope we have a supply chain for this portrait,” he said. “I know there will be a rush for people who would want to have it in their shops and their offices and we have to prepare for it.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the Minister of Presidential Affairs, said the new picture of the president also relates to his present age.

“Also, people have grown in age so the picture also must be related to the present situation people are in but most importantly, there must be consistency throughout the country,” he said. “We should have one picture known in the whole country, regionally and internationally so that the rest of you as citizens are allowed to have a portrait of your president in your sitting room.”

Minister Marial disclosed the change of the SPLA to SSPDF also appears in the presidential portrait.

“There have been changes in the titles since the days of struggle for our independence and now we have South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) of which the President is the Commander-in-Chief and it has to appear in his portrait,” he added.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

The UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan for another year Wednesday.

Resolution 2677 (2022) was adopted with 13 votes in favour- 0 against -2 abstentions (China, Russian Federation).

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan’s (UNMISS) mandate will now continue until 15 March 2024.

“UNSC decides that UNMISS’s mandate is designed to advance the three-year strategic vision defined in resolution 2567 (2021) to prevent a return to civil war in South Sudan, to build durable peace at the local and national levels, and to support inclusive and accountable governance and free, fair, and peaceful elections in accordance with the Revitalised Agreement,” the Council’s resolution read. “Decides that UNMISS shall have the following mandate, authorizes UNMISS to use all necessary means to implement its mandate, requests the Secretary-General to inform the Security Council of any obstacles to the implementation of the mandate, and stresses that the protection of civilians shall be given priority in decisions about the use of available capacity and resources.”

The UNSC also decided to maintain the overall force levels of UNMISS with a troop ceiling of 17,000 personnel and a police ceiling of 2,101 personnel, including 88 justice and corrections advisors, and expressed readiness to consider adjustments to UNMISS force levels and capacity-building tasks based on security conditions on the ground and implementation of priority measures.

The 15-member Council also tasked UNMISS to focus on four key areas: the protection of civilians; the creation of conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance; supporting the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement and the Peace Process; and monitoring, investigating, and reporting on violations of international humanitarian law, as well as abuses of human rights.

According to the UNSC decision, the UNMISS’s mandate is designed to advance the three-year strategic vision defined in resolution 2567 (2021) to prevent a return to civil war in South Sudan, to build durable peace at the local and national levels, and to support inclusive and accountable governance and free, fair, and peaceful elections in accordance with the Revitalized Agreement.

On the South Sudan Peace Process, the UNSC, among other things, demanded that all parties to the conflict and other armed actors immediately end the fighting throughout South Sudan and engage in political dialogue and expressed deep concern about the delays in implementing the Revitalised Agreement.

The Council also stressed that conducting free and fair elections, reflecting the will of all South Sudanese, is critical for a transition toward a stable, inclusive, democratic, and self-reliant state and called upon the government of South Sudan as well as all relevant parties to ensure an environment conducive to open political dialogue consistent with the Revitalised Agreement, which includes free and constructive political debate, freedom of opinion and expression, including for civil society, opposition parties, and members of the press.

The Council also demanded freedom of peaceful assembly, equitable access to media, including state media, the security of all political actors, freedom of movement for all candidates, as well as for the presence of domestic and international election observers and witnesses, journalists, human rights activists and actors from civil society including women, which can help lead to free and fair elections.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, opposition leader Riek Machar and other political figures signed a peace agreement in 2018 that ended five years of civil war.

Implementation of the peace agreement has been slow, and the opposing parties have frequently disagreed over how to share power.

The term of the current transitional government was initially set to expire in 2022. In August 2022, the parties to the peace agreement extended the transitional government’s time in office for another two years, meaning elections would be held in December 2024

Source: Radio Tamazuj