Cattle keepers in Wau benefit from free veterinary camp provided by UNMISS peacekeepers (28.12.2019)

In South Sudan, the death of a cow or a goat is a big loss, as cattle are important assets.

JUBA, South Sudan, December 28, 2019 – Since her childhood days in Majok, Martha Agew’s life has relied heavily on rearing livestock. Ms. Agew was one of may beneficiaries as Bangladeshi peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan provided cattle keepers in her area with free veterinary services.

“I am a 65-year-old cattle keeper who has been owning more than 500 cows in Achol-Majok in Wau town, but due to an acute shortage of medications I have lost about 30 cows and two goats in recent years, she says, adding that she was aware of plenty of over livestock in frail health.

 “If one of our animals was sick, it was either slaughtered or left to die because there was no availability of veterinary services around here. This led to a decline in our livestock production and limited marketing opportunities. But now, thanks to the peacekeepers who offered us free veterinary services we can become more self-sufficient.”

During the veterinary campaign, Joseph Richard Ambuka, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Health in Wau, appealed to the peacekeeping mission to extend its services to other areas outside Wau town.

In South Sudan, the death of a cow or a goat is a big loss, as cattle are important assets. They are not only used as a source of food and to generate income, but also as dowry for marriages and as signs of wealth and power.

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South Sudan Woman’s Coalition: Statement on the Status of the implementation of the R-ARCSS and the Unfolding Emergency in the aftermath of the Flooding in South Sudan (20.12.2019)

Burundi: SOS – Torture/Burundi – Declaration (19.12.2019)

South Sudan: Statement of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General David Shearer Briefing to the Security Council on South Sudan (18.12.2019)

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South Sudan: Ministry of Wildlife of Consversation and Tourism – Subject: Urgent Call Observe and Respect the Wildlife Laws of South Sudan (10.12.2019)

South Sudan: Floods and Uncertainty About Peace Restrict the Return of Displaced Families in Bor (16.12.2019)

Nyarien Ochiek Yot and her five children fled from their village in the far north of South Sudan to the United Nations protection site in Bor when civil war erupted, and her husband was killed in the fighting. Six years on, her family wants to return to their home in Mankien as peace descends on the country.rBut she is nervous about whether the peace deal will hold in the wake of yet another delay in the implementation process.rThe Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan met with Nyarien Ochiek Yot and other families who want to leave the protection site. He promised to help facilitate their travel home when they are ready to go but understands their uncertainty.rrWhile the peace process is progressing well between warring groups locally, devastating floods that struck the region last month are proving to be another disincentive for displaced families wanting to leave protection camps and return home. Tukuls (huts), crops and basic services, like water supplies, have been damaged or destroyed by the rising water. Local authorities are asking for help from the international community.rrHumanitarian support and the acceleration of the peace process are vital to ensuring that displaced families have the trust and confidence they need to leave UN camps so they can rebuild their homes and lives in their own communities.

The Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, David Shearer, met with Nyarien Ochiek Yot and other families who want to leave the protection site to hear their concerns.

JUBA, South Sudan, December 16, 2019 – Nyarien Ochiek Yot and her five children fled their village in the far north of South Sudan to the United Nations protection site in Bor when her husband was killed during fierce fighting at the start of the civil war.Six years on, her family wants to return to their home in Mankien as peace slowly descends on the country.

But she is nervous about whether the peace deal and ceasefire will hold in the wake of yet another delay in the implementation process.

“The people of South Sudan, including me, are hoping for peace. Peace is the only thing that can make this country stable,” says Nyarien Ochiek Yot. “But I do not trust the politicians and the military because they are the ones that always drag people to peace and, when they see peace, they drag people to war again. It feels hopeless.”

A peace deal was signed by the warring parties in September 2018. However, the implementation process has been slow with the plan to form a new transitional government now twice delayed.

The Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, David Shearer, met with Nyarien Ochiek Yot and other families who want to leave the protection site to hear their concerns. He promised to help facilitate their travel home when they are ready to go but understands their uncertainty.

“People are anxious about the peace process. I think they would like to see more progress and, they told me, you know 100 days is not a long time,” says David Shearer. “We need to make rapid progress. We have to try really hard to put the political will in and move things forward.” 

Despite Nyarien Ochiek Yot’s concerns about the peace process, she has enough confidence to return to her home and rebuild her life.

While the peace process between warring groups locally is progressing well, devastating floods that struck the region last month are proving to be another disincentive for displaced families wanting to leave the camps and return home.

Homes, crops and basic services, like water supplies, have been damaged or destroyed by the rising water. Local authorities are asking for help from the international community.

“We need services. We need medication. We need food and plastic sheets as well as mosquito nets,” says Jonglei Governor, Maker Thiong Maal. “These are the things that we need now because, in the country here, we don’t have any factories to produce the goods that we need to cover the gaps. We are very vulnerable and hope the world community will stand with us.”

Humanitarian agencies have launched a massive emergency response plan, reaching hundreds of thousands of people in need across the Jonglei region.

But efforts to implement the peace agreement also need to be accelerated so that people have the trust and confidence they need to go home.

“No one I’ve spoken to wants to go back to fighting. In fact, they’re absolutely adamant they don’t want to fight,” says David Shearer. “I think what we’ve got to do now is take the voices from here and tell those who are negotiating down in Juba to move forward because people want to go back to their homes and get on with their lives.”

Uganda-Rwanda Tensions XIX: The 2nd Ad-Hoc Meeting – A double whammy!

Today, was the rescheduled 2nd Ad-Hoc Meeting, which was supposed to happen in October, but since then been postponed. This has all happen since the Luanda Memorandum of Understanding was signed on the 21st August 2019 and the first meeting was in the middle September in Kigali. Today, it was in Uganda, as the parties met together with the other stakeholders too.

Well, the parties couldn’t resolve anything. They couldn’t even drop a joint communique from the 2nd Ad-Hoc Meeting. The MoU isn’t a legally binding document, neither was the first joint communique from September. However, the breakdown today is surely not the signs in the stars that the public needs.

The Rwandan and Ugandan parties are not able to settle grievances, they are not able to negotiate or even talk. Not even for the PR perspective. They were together and had the opportunity to settle things, instead they are back-stepping and mudding the waters more.

The various dignitaries today cannot proud of their work, neither for themselves or for the East African Community in general. This is putting a hold on a needed relations, as they are neighbours and will be connected whether they like it or not. If it is the ego of the head of states. If it is the grudges from the past.

This is not only a border dispute, the way both republic’s a treating their citizens. It is also about the possible shadow-war done in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The spoils of militias inside there, which the parties doesn’t want to put on the table. Neither also take responsibility for. Because, that means knowingly taking responsibility for in the insecurity, they both are promising to help, all of the time.

These two parties needs to settle it and the citizens are paying the price, the traders and border regions are hurt by this. The Uganda-Rwanda tensions needs to be resolved, as there been a long stalemate and need to figure the next few steps. The stakeholders needs to put forward steps and timelines. If not this will drag-on into 2021 or even escalate further by possible violence at a border point. Which has already occurred, but if it happens again. It might be more than just letters of warning between the parties. But actual further actions made, which none of us wants to see. Peace.