July 13, 2021 (JUBA) - The leadership of the SPLM/SPLA (IO) has assigned Col., Lam Paul Gabriel, as the official spokesperson of the armed opposition movement while Brig. General William Gatjiath Deng has been re-assigned to SPLM/SPLA (IO) headquarters. “In reference to the mentioned subject, the SPLM/SPLA (IO) would like to inform its members and the public that Brig. General William Gatjiath Deng has been reassigned to the SPLM/SPLA (IO) headquarters with effect from 9th July 2021,” Puok (...) - News / SPLM/A In Opposition, Military

July 13, 2021 (GEDAREF) - The Sudanese Armed Forces in Gedaref state last Sunday repelled Ethiopian militias that crossed the border into the eastern Sudan border area The Executive Director of Basanda border locality in Gedaref state, Mamoun Abdel Rahim, said that the Ethiopian militiamen sought again to take control of the Sudanese areas that the army had previously chased them from it. Abdel Rahim added that the Ethiopian militias wanted to control the border areas of Umm Diblo, (...) - News / Ethiopia

July 13, 2021 (JUBA) - South Sudan president Salva Kiir has assured citizens of his government commitment to extend mobile telecommunication services to the remote areas of the country. He was speaking at the launch of Digitel, a South Sudan-owned mobile operator in Juba on Monday. “The installation of mobile service infrastructure is an ongoing process. Recently, people in Maper, Rumbek North County, and Pochalla in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area have connected to mobile network,” (...) - News / South Sudan, Telecommunications

July 13, 2021 (WASHINGTON) – A new report has pinned the South Sudanese government of committing “extrajudicial killings, including ethnic-based killings of civilians, widespread sexual violence, and use of food as a weapon of war." The 2021 Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 5 of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018 was released on Monday. “In South Sudan, the State (Department) coordinated financial and political support to establish an African Union hybrid (...) - News / United States (US), South Sudan, FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

July 13, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese pound continued to register gains against major currencies prompting panic among black market traders. Traders who spoke to Sudan Tribune said that US dollar was sold at 450 pounds, Euro at 535 pounds, Saudi Riyal for 120 pounds and UAE Dirham for 121 pounds. The improvement in the exchange rate reflected improved market supply relative to demand. Sudan central bank has been regularly holding foreign currency auctions to feed commercial banks' needs (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

July 12, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi Tuesday praised the Russian call to avoid unilateral filling and operating of the Ethiopian giant dam and to reach a negotiated solution accepted by the three parties. Al-Mahdi made its remarks in a joint press conference with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the end of a three-day visit to Moscow where she held talks with Russian officials over bilateral relations and regional issues. "We thank the Russian (...) - News / Russia, Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY

July 12, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan decided to intensify internal security operations in some areas of South Kordofan and the Red Sea states that witness inter-communal tensions. At least 3 people were killed and several others wounded, in a grenade attack carried out by unknown persons on a sports club in Port Sudan, in eastern Sudan. Also, 13 people were killed following tribal clashes in the Qadir area of South Kordofan on Sunday. On Monday, the Security and Defence Council held an (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

July 12, 2021 (JUBA) -The United Nations mission in South Sudan has announced plans to launch a Peace Fellowship Program for citizens drawn from all the 10 states of the East African nation. The initiative, UNMISS said in a statement on its Facebook page, will be undertaken in close cooperation with the Foreign Affairs ministry. The program will enable citizens get in-depth knowledge of South Sudan's peace process and see what role they can play in the implementation of the peace (...) - News / South Sudan, Peacebuilding, UNMISS - United Nations Mission in South Sudan

July 11, 2021 (TORIT) – 50 senior South Sudan Peoples Defence Forces (SSPDF) commanders in Eastern Equatoria state have been sensitized on international human rights laws to guide them in preventing crimes associated with sexual violence committed by uniformed personnel. The training, organised by the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMISS), took place in the Eastern Equatoria state capital, Torit last week. The Human Rights Division of UNMISS annually organises similar trainings. “We (...) - News / South Sudan, Human Rights, SPLA - SSPDF

By Mahmoud A. Suleiman This article of a compilation of related topics comes against the backdrop of a number of issues relating to the Republic of South Sudan that was declared its inauguration at midnight on July 9th 2011 with raucous celebrations erupted as the World's youngest nation was born and the people of South Sudan cheered the end of a decades-long struggle for Statehood from the mother Sudan; though the revelry was short-lived. Had it not for the unfortunate death of the (...) - Comment & Analysis

July 11, 2021 (JUBA) – South Sudan's First Vice-President, Riek Machar has said the government will support sport as a tool aimed at promoting peace and unity in the East African nation. He made the remarks while officiating at the Great Run Marathon organised by South Sudan Great Run Association under the theme “Lets Run for Better Future of South Sudan,” in Juba on Friday. Machar also congratulated the people of South Sudan on the occasion to celebrate 10 years of independence from (...) - News / South Sudan, FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, Sport

by Keluel Agok 1. President Salva Kiir lied that he was taking us to the promised land in 2010 but we have never seen that fucking promised land until this night but we just laughed it off, ignored him thinking he would change but never memorized and he wasn't arrested while he is lavishly enjoying Champagne whisky in peace tonight2021. 2. Kiir lied that he will construct all roads, hospitals, schools, and electric power across South Sudan in 2010 but none were done until the fuckin (...) - Comment & Analysis

July 9, 2021 (JUBA) – Civil servants in South Sudan will effective from this financial year receive a 100% salary increment, President Salva Kiir announced on Friday. Speaking in a televised address to the nation, the South Sudanese leader directed the Petroleum Ministry to allocate 5,000 barrels of crude oil to boost the country's economy and strengthen government's financial position. “I am aware that our civil servants have endured irregular salary payments for a long time as the salary (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, South Sudan, Politics

July 10, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The historical Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) announced their reunification in one structure to provide the needed support for the transitional government to complete the tasks of the transition and hold democratic elections. The FFC Central Council bloc, the National Umma Party (NUP) and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) held a series of meetings after an initiative by Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok to unite the political forces supporting his (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY

July 10, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Social media giant Facebook removed 53 accounts used to spread fake news hostile to the transitional government according to a report released on Thursday. Facebook has become the first tool for the Sudanese Islamists and other anti-democratic groups that used to regularly campaign against the government of Abdallah Hamdok, which struggles to achieve key economic reforms after ending Sudan's international isolation. In its monthly report about fake news and (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

July 9, 2021 (ROME) – Pope Francis has appealed to South Sudanese to redouble their efforts by making “personal sacrifice” for the sake of peace in the world's newest nation. The appeal is contained in a joint letter issued as South Sudan marked its 10th independence anniversary on Friday this week. The July 9 letter signed by the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Reverend Martin Fair, congratulated South Sudan, (...) - News

July 9, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The United States called for the urgent resumption of the talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) under the auspice of the African Union with the support of regional and international organisations. U.S. Representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council during a meeting to discuss the dispute over the GERD that the interests and concerns of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia can be reconcilable. Greenfield called for the (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

July 9, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The SPLM-N's National Liberation Council has instructed the negotiating team to stick with positions included in the drat framework agreement filed to the Sudanese government last May. On 27 May, the government and SPLM-N delegations resumed peace talks in Juba after the signing of a declaration of principles providing to separate the state and religion by the Head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Movement's leader Abdel Aziz al-Hilu on 28 (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY, Peace talks with SPLM-N, Darfur groups

July 9, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Friday confirmed the charges against Ali Kushayb and ordered to try him for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In a statement released on Friday, the ICC said the three judges unanimously found "that there are substantial grounds to believe that Mr Abd-Al-Rahman (Kushayb) is responsible for 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed between August 2003 and at least (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

July 8, 2021 (NAIROBI) – As South Sudan marks its 10th independence anniversary on July 9, up to 7.2 million of the country's population are on the brink of famine, an aid agency warned Friday. According to Save The Children, the number of people in grave danger of starvation has risen by 50% compared to the same season a decade ago, with figures released in 2012 showing that 40% of the population was experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity. The agency said this situation will most (...) - News / South Sudan, Famine

July 8, 2021 (LONDON) - South Sudan should get back on the road to economic and social development despite the immense suffering caused by the outbreak of civil wars, the Troika said. In a statement issued on the eve of South Sudan's independence, the Troika (Britain, United States and Norway) said the country has enormous resources that can benefit its citizens. “After all, South Sudan is rich. Its riches do not just reside in the oil beneath its land or the lumber in its forests. South (...) - News / South Sudan

July 8, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan and Egypt called on the United Nations Security Council to put the needed pressure on the Blue Nile's upstream country to sign a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Upon the request of the downstream countries, the Security Council discussed the dispute over the giant dam on Thursday with the participation of the Sudanese and Ethiopian foreign ministers and the Ethiopian Irrigation minister. In their (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY

July 7, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan has officially joined the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) system for money transfer as it struggles to reconnect with the world. The Sudanese banking sector has been suffering for decades from international isolation due to its presence on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. A banking official confirmed to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that Sudan had officially obtained the registration for the global bank account number from the Society for (...) - News / Remittances

Ngor Arol Garang What does secession celebration remind and what next are the questions lingering in the minds of the majority of South Sudanese in and outside the country and from all walks of life as they prepare to mark the 10th anniversary of the independence? With a howling cheer on July 9th, 2011, the people welcomed the newest nation in the world. People waved flags in colourful ways as the new flag was being hoisted high into the air, marking the historic moment of formal (...) - Comment & Analysis / National Dialogue and Reconciliation In South Sudan

July 7, 2021 (JUBA) - South Sudan's will not hold celebrations to mark the country's 10th independence anniversary due on Friday over coronavirus, the Council of Ministers resolved. Cabinet, during Wednesday's extraordinary meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir urged the public to celebrate the day in their homes as part of measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. South Sudan gained independence from neighbouring Sudan on July 9, 2011. “There will be an official nation address from the (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, South Sudan

July 6, 2021 (JUBA/NAIROBI) – At least 4.5 million children in South Sudan are in “desperate” need of humanitarian support, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) warned on Wednesday ahead of the 10th anniversary of the country's independence due on July 9. The agency, in a report on the impact of the humanitarian crisis on children, said hopes the independence would bring a new dawn for the country's children have faded. Bouts of violence and conflict, recurring floods, droughts and other (...) - News / South Sudan, UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

July 7, 2021 (NAIROBI) - South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A) led by Gen. Paul Malong said its field commander was captured by government forces after a firefight in Unity State on Monday. “SSUF/A field commander in Unity State, Lt. Col. James Cherey Geek, has been captured by a government force in a dawn ambush in Ruathlual village of Mayom County in Unity State,” the group said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday. It said Geek had, on July 5, travelled with few soldiers (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, SPLA - SSPDF, Military

July 7, 2021 (WASHINGTON) - The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken has urged all parties to the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region to commit to immediate, indefinite and negotiated ceasefire. Blinken, his spokesperson said, spoke with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday. “The Secretary condemned the destruction of bridges into Tigray and other impediments to access,” read a statement issued by spokesperson, Ned Price. The U.S. official further urged Abiy to commit (...) - News / Ethiopia, FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, United States (US)

July 5, 2021 (JUBA) - South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SSCAA) has announced the launch of a state-of-the-art online system, which allows the opening of new routes. The newly established lower airspace, launched in partnership with aviation solutions provider NavPass, will boost tourism and generate revenue for the economy, the aviation body said. Through the system, operators of commercial, cargo, and aid aircraft can now integrate Juba International Airport into their routes. (...) - News / Aviation, South Sudan, FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY

July 5, 2021 (JUBA) - South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) has expressed concerns over reports of the ongoing vicious inter-communal conflicts and killings across the country. The group, in a statement extended to the Sudan Tribune on Monday, cited the recent clashes between the Azande and Balanda communities of Western Equatoria State. “SSOMA strongly abhors and denounces these ongoing inter-communal fights. We applaud and fully support the ongoing efforts of the church and (...) - News / South Sudan, Tribal clashes in South Sudan, South Sudanese Opposition

July 5, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - In a meeting held on Monday, the transitional period partners council recommended relieving the state governors and approved the formation of the Transitional Legislative Council. The transitional partners' council is chaired by the Head of the Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and includes the Prime Minister and leaders of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF). “The Council of Partners recommended the relieve (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, Democratic Transition in Sudan

July 5, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - The Chairman of the Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, issued on Monday a decree to form the Joint High Military Committee for Security Arrangements (JHMCSA) and Ceasefire Committee in the Darfur region. The JHMCSA will supervise, monitor, and verify the implementation of the agreement including the assembly sites for the combatants of the groups that signed the Juba Peace Agreement and the whole Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY

July 4, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan and the UN Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Sunday co-signed the Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) establishing the legal principles, which will guide the work of the political mission. The agreement was signed by the Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi for the Sudanese government and UNITMAS head Volker Perthese who represented the United Nations. On 3 June 2020, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2524 (2020), (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_SECONDARY, Democratic Transition in Sudan

July 4, 2021 (JUBA) – South Sudan's opposition National Salvation Front (NAS) has inaugurated the Salvation (Political) Council of the hold-out opposition movement. Speaking at the launching of the council on Saturday, the chairman of NAS, Gen. Thomas Cirillo Swaka described the event as “historic”. He said it is the responsibility of the political council members to represent the movement and people of South Sudan in different parts of the country in the struggle to emancipate them and (...) - News / National Salvation Front (NAS), Politics, South Sudan

July 4, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Troika countries and UNITAMS encouraged the SPLM-N led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu to return to the negotiating table and resume peace talks with the transitional Sudanese government. On 15 June, The mediation adjourned talks between the two Sudanese parties saying they need to consult with their respective leadership on the sticky points. The talks stalled, among others, over the extent of the separation between the state and religion, and the SPLM-N demand to (...) - News / FRONT_PAGE_DISPLAY, Peace talks with SPLM-N, Darfur groups, Democratic Transition in Sudan