As South Sudan’s people and leaders gear up for the country’s first national elections in December this year, much remains to be done to ensure communities fully recover from repeated cycles of violence.

Respect for human rights; upholding the rule of law; and strengthened accountability mechanisms are, therefore, more vital now than ever before.

In Western Bahr El Ghazal, South Sudan, however, delays in fully implementing transitional security arrangements—as stipulated in the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement—had compromised rule of law and referral pathways in handling serious criminal offences, often leading to shortfalls in holding perpetrators to account as well as ensuring the rights of every citizen are upheld.

To breach this gap, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), through its Human Rights Division, recently engaged with senior uniformed personnel from the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-iO) in Wau to raise awareness of their human rights obligations.

“These discussions have been helpful for us to recommit to protecting the rights of every citizen in our areas of responsibility, irrespective of their ethnicity,” declared Major General Peter Ngoli, deputy commander of the SPLA-iO Division 6A.

“Our talks were very fruitful, and I think all participants have understood the need to work according to the laws of the land,” he added.

Major General Ngoli was one of some 35 military commanders and officers from various brigades and headquarters who debated key issues such as stopping impediments to the delivery of humanitarian assistance; preventing arbitrary detentions; and upholding the rights and dignity of suspects.

“It was difficult to face some mistakes from the past, but we have understood both our individual and command responsibilities in bringing perpetrators of human rights violations to justice,” averred First Lieutenant Francis Bazilio of Brigade 3 in Mboro. 

Vitally, the two-day forum sought to establish mechanisms for referring serious cases of human rights violations to courts in Wau.

“I agree that serious cases should be sent to the competent courts,” said SPLA-iO Police Commissioner Major General Charles Jumo Usman. “We also suggest a joint investigation team is formed to ensure accountabilty,” he continued.

For Leopold Kouassi, a senior Human Rights Officer with the UN Peacekeeping mission, as signatories of the 2018 peace deal, it is crucial to educate the commanders of their responsibility to comply with the laws of the land.

“We have been able to highlight and agree on the appropriate procedures and channels that must be followed when dealing with serious criminal offences. This is real progress,” he stated.

The engagement was a milestone in terms of ongoing efforts to broker rapprochement between the parties to the Revitalized Agreement, and this event, according to Sam Muhumure, Head of the UNMISS Field Office in Wau, will not be the last of its kind.

“We are having similar discussions with rule of law and accountability institutions across the board, to encourage synergies between relevant stakeholders across Western Bahr El Ghazal. The objective is to ensure the entire state and all citizens benefit from strong justice institutions and greater accountability,” he averred.”

A verbal commitment by senior commanders: An inroad into a more functional rule of law system.

“We are making a firm commitment to ensure that citizens are protected and that their rights are respected. We cannot do this alone so, we urge community members to report any concerns to us and to be patient while cases are being handled in line with the established laws,” assured Major-General Ngoli.

For its part, UNMISS will continue such dialogues and strengthen them through relevant capacity building initiatives.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Many parts of South Sudan are affected by cattle raids and ambushes between rival communities, which take a deadly toll on civilian lives, disrupt communal harmony, and perpetuate a cycle of violence. And this has been happening too many times among the Kraal community in the Greater Kapoeta area of Eastern Equatoria.

Add to this the high rates of youth unemployment, easy access to firearms and limited opportunities and you have an explosive mix that makes young people vulnerable to criminal acts and incitement.

 The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has, therefore, been working with local authorities, civil society, and community leaders in Kapoeta to deter youth from resorting to crime or violence.

Recently, UNMISS convened a forum in partnership with the Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Commission in Riwoto town of Kapoeta North County to discuss the findings of an intercommunal dialogue conducted earlier this year.

The forum brought together 50 Kraal youth, elders, women, traditional leaders  from Budi, Kapoeta South and Kapoeta North counties as well as  senior government officials.  

The forum sought to provide an opportunity for Kraal youth from Didinga, Buya, and Toposa communities to address their long-standing differences. It focused on reducing  cattle raids, targeted killings, revenge attacks, and road ambushes.

“We are appealing to  youth to eschew violence  because they are dying without reason. All of us, whether we are Buya, Toposa or  Didinga, are tired of the immense toll such disputes have taken on our lives, especially on women and girls,” averred Rose Lomare, a women’s representative from Kapoeta North.

Some key action points decided at the forum included return of stolen livestock and holding perpetrators of cattle raids and road ambushes accountable.

“We are going back to our communities to talk to the Kraal youth about peace and coexistence, but we also ask the government enforce laws to regulate crimes, and arrest and jail offenders,” said Lino Mertula Lochuk, the Head Chief in Napak Payam of Budi County.

Also present at the event was Morris Merisa Kaunda, the State Minister of Cooperative and Rural Development, who assured participants of the government’s commitment to resolving community disputes peacefully.  

“I call upon all offenders who have wronged each other to accept responsibility for their actions, return what was taken to the rightful owners and find a peaceful, dialogue-based way to resolve outstanding issues,” urged Minister Kaunda.

Representing the UN Peacekeeping mission was Abdul Rahman Kamara, a Civil Affairs Officer from the UNMISS Field Office in Torit, who inspired local youth to demonstrate their intent to focus on development.

“If you raid each other’s cattle and kill one another, what benefit will it bring to you? I urge you instead to join hands to prevent conflict in your community, find means to bring peace and increased investment and development,” he stated.

For their part the government has also announced their intent to hold perpetrators accountable and to help in the recovery of stolen livestock to support communities in their quest for peace.

Initiatives like this aim at encouraging young people to earn productive and legal livelihoods and end this cycle of criminality in Greater Kapoeta.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

By Habtamu Abrdew Beture, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The newly appointed Coadjutor Bishop of the Eparchy of Emdibir and the Secretary General of the Catholic Bishop Conference of Ethiopia His Excellency Bishop Lucas (Abba Teshome Fikre) held an interview with the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) on May 2, 2024.

On his interview he emphasized that “The people of Ethiopia can still rely on the indigenous social values”

According to his excellency It is heartbreaking that we hear stories of conflicts and war every day. On top of our poverty, security becomes our day to day concern. Blood shadings are becoming a simple activity in different parts of the country. We used to be considered a people of faith and humility. But nowadays this fact is questioned.

Even though religious institutions are still forming the young generation, all should pay attention to focus on spirituality over the denomination.

The religious institutions and the government are responsible to lead the youth to the right path of life and development not to war. Nobody should use the youth as an instrument for distractions and man made disasters. We are entrusted to show them the way of truth, love and justice. Our youth are encountering the challenges of unemployment and hopelessness. Two days ago we all heard another heartbreaking story: our youth lost their precious life in the Red Sea Near Digibuti. And this is our every time story.

We have to be a good samaritan for our nation. And this responsibility is shared among the Families, the politicians and we the religious leaders. We should stop taking our youth to the battlefields, and start to protect them from human traffickers, help them to take the right path of life and let them live happily in their own land.

Our social and spiritual fractures heal by prayers, good will, good acts, love and justice. Let’s repent, turn our face to God and lead our young children to the truth.

We have to retrieve our indigenous social values, our tradition of reconciliation, tolerance and hospitality

Religious leaders being neutral, free from ethnic partisanship and political influences, can play a great role in being mediators, in building a culture of peace and reconciliation.

God never let a nation without a shepherd. But we shepherds of the nation are more responsible than anybody else infront of God who entrusted the life of the nation to us and told us to watch over his flock.

I strongly believe that the solution for our nation is on the children of the country itself.

His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed His Excellency Bishop Lucas as a coadjutor Bishop for the Eparchy of Emdibir on December 16, 2023 and he has been consecrated on February 11, 2024 at St. Anthony Cathedral, Emdibir.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is extremely concerned about escalating food and nutrition insecurity in West and Central African countries. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria are all anticipated to face Crisis (IPC3) level of food insecurity or worse during the lean season – the time between harvests – from June till August, according to the latest analysis of Cadre Harmonisé (CH) report, published by the IRC&more than a dozen international organizations working in the region. 

The magnitude of severe food insecurity and related malnutrition continues to intensify in the region. In the Central Sahel alone (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger), 7.5 million people are affected, up from 5.4m last year. More than 2,500 people are due to face catastrophic, famine-like conditions if no urgent action is taken.

Modou Diaw, the IRC’s Regional Vice President for West Africa:

“We are extremely concerned about the rising levels of hunger and unacceptably high malnutrition levels in children under five: in parts of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria, acute malnutrition rates are expected to reach ​​critical levels of over 15% during the imminent lean season – this is more than one in six children.  

In West and Central Africa, food insecurity has progressively worsened in the last five years. Climatic shocks exacerbate food insecurity, malnutrition and insecurity, and push youth, men, and women, to migrate both within and out of the region. 

The IRC has started to address the food crisis in the last decade starting with Mali, Niger and Chad, and subsequently expanding this work to more countries across the region. With the humanitarian response plan chronically underfunded for the Sahelian countries, at around 10% for 2024, the need far surpasses what the IRC and peer organisations have been able to address.” 

The IRC supports communities across the region to ensure their most basic survival needs are met and have the combination of assets and income to prosper through cash relief and livelihoods. In response to the deteriorating food insecurity findings of the Cadre Harmonisé in March 2022, the IRC region developed the Emergency Lifesaving Food Assistance Initiative to support over 186,000 people from more than 31,000 households to mitigate the shock of the severe food insecurity. 

Since 1991, the IRC has partnered locally in West Africa to empower people in crisis to survive and rebuild their lives. The IRC’s regional office for West Africa is based in Dakar, Senegal, and supports eight country programs in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Sierra Leone as well as a project-specific office in Monrovia, Liberia.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Rescue Committee (IRC) .