21 August 2013 – Some 25 women took part in a forum at Juba Civic Engagement Center today aimed at their achievements, challenges, return from abroad and access to information.

Organized by UNMISS, participants comprised members of the legislative assembly and civil society, who shared their views on topics ranging from microfinance and business opportunities to gender-based violence.

Two years after independence in South Sudan, women still face extreme challenges, but are focused on the way forward.

Their discussions reflected on the country’s situation and strategies for progress, including the need to draw more women into politics and develop their own national strategy as well as capacity building for their gender in business as well as public speaking.

“It was important, it is these small things that are connecting to the big things,” participant Lorna Merekaji, of the South Sudan Engagement Monitoring and Observation Program, said of the forum.

Paleki Obur, CEO of South Sudan Women Empowerment Network, ended the session by saying, “Let’s not limit ourselves to what we can do

28 August 2013 - To improve living conditions at a Jonglei orphanage, UNMISS South Korean engineers donated needed items today to the Orphan, Trauma and Healing Centre in the capital Bor.

The items included 172 pairs of shoes, 170 mosquito nets, 170 blankets, 30 beds, 60 desks and chairs, 10 footballs, six blackboards, nine solar panels, two brass bells and 170 bags of construction cement.

During the donation, Moses Gatkuoth, Chairperson of the Committee on Peace, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at Jonglei State Legislative Assembly, said the items had increased the children’s morale.

“This type of donation clearly demonstrates that UN peacekeepers are here not only to keep peace and stability but also to boost the morale of such destitute children, who are in need of attention and encouragement all the time,” he said.

Peter Yien Reath, director of the center, said, “These children have suffered from malaria due to lack of mosquito nets and beds… for quite a long time and I think now we will be able to solve that problem.”

South Korean Commander Col. Ko Dongjum, expressed hope that the items would improve conditions in the centre and tighten ties between it and UN peacekeepers.

The South Koreans have also assisted the centre by leveling two football fields, flattening flood-prone ground, renovating children’s rooms and constructing two recreational areas inside the compound.

In addition, they have carried out medical checkups on the children every week and provided them with lunch once a month since May.

According to Director Reath, the centre, set up in 2012 at the peak of inter-communal violence in the state, has sheltered 170 orphans who lost their immediate families during conflicts in 2011-2012.

The Bor Orphan, Trauma and Healing Center is run by South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church.

29 August 2013 – Aiming to reduce subjective and unlawful detentions in Jonglei State, UNMISS in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the State’s Legal Administration conducted a one-day forum today in the State capital Bor.

The meeting was attended by more than 23 participants drawn from UN agencies, South Sudan Human Rights Commission, Jonglei State Legal Administration, John Garang Memorial University and non-governmental organizations.

During the session, participants held in-depth discussions on legal measures about bail and bail bond; including unlawful arrests, denial to grant the accused bail or bail bond, and mechanisms on how to end such practices.

During the forum, UNMISS Judicial Affairs Officer Mike Dzakuma said that the discussion on bail and bail bond was a continuation of the efforts made by UNMISS and partners to sensitive the public on the importance of the issue.

“Today’s discussion on bail and bail bond is meant to sensitize the public on their rights as far as granting of bails by the courts and rule of law officers are concern”.

He said that the forum was open to the general public, and his unit is hoping that topics of the session would be disseminated further by the media in order to reach out to the grass-root community.

According to Mr. Dzakuma, UNMISS would organize similar forum next month on 26 September.

Meanwhile, Jonglei State’s deputy head of Legal Administration Kuot Alith said the rule of law forum was meant to enlighten the people of the State about the importance of the law.

He added that the topics which were discussed during the forum correspond with the South Sudan’s court of criminal procedures.

“In our constitution, South Sudan’s court of criminal procedures act of 2008; there are some cases where the accused cannot be granted bail, serious crimes like bribery and sexual assault” Alith said.

The rule of law forum was organized by UNMISS and UNDP as a mechanism to enhance peaceful resolution of conflicts in South Sudan. And in Jonglei State, such meetings seek to provide ways of resolving disputes among the warring communities.

1 September 2013 - UNMISS Chinese Military engineers deployed to Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State were determined to improve airstrip infrastructure in the state capital Aweil, the detachment’s commander said today.

“No obstacle is formidable. No difficulty is insurmountable,” said Lt Col Li Qingfeng, Commander of the Chinese Horizontal Military Engineer Company. “We have the determination, confidence and ability to complete the task.”

As they traveled to Aweil, the 35 engineers re-deployed from the Western Bahr El-Ghazal capital Wau on 30 August repaired the road between the two capitals, which had been seriously damaged by heavy rains. The detachment covered the 136 kilometers in 10 and a half hours.

In Aweil, the engineers will rehabilitate a two-kilometer access road to the airstrip, build a new apron for UNMISS aircraft and maintain the runway.

UNMISS Chief Engineer Johannes Dreyer said the project was a mission priority.

31 August 2013 - To increase food supplies in Eastern Equatoria, UN Police (UNPOL) and South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) officers today kicked off a yam-planting project near the state capital Torit.

“This is a way of showing the community that if we work, we can produce our own food,” the state’s police commissioner, Maj. Gen. Henry Danima Odu, said as he planted the first seed. “It is all part of the government’s food security drive.”

The commissioner planted the first set of at least forty tubers of yam crop on a one-acre demonstration farm at Katire Payam, 45 kilometers south of Torit.

“We are starting with yam because it is new to this area and so we want to try it and see (how it works out), but we are going to grow vegetables and grains,” said. Maj. Gen Odu.

UNPOL State Advisor Okon Asuquo said the project would bring enormous benefits for the community. “The harvest (will) be ploughed back into the community so that they can sustain this initiative and take it on (to) a larger scale,” he said.

Officials from the state’s Ministry of Agriculture pledged to provide technical support to ensure its success.

In a similar project, UNMISS Civil Affairs in the state is preparing for harvest of a ten-acre maize crop which they planted with residents of Tirrangore locality, near Torit.

“The project (aimed) to promote community livelihoods as a peacebuilding mechanism, while the people also learnt new farming techniques,” said Civil Affairs team leader Julius Fondong.

He added that the community would decide what to do with income earned from selling the maize.

“We have never sown maize in this area,” said Faisal Alphonse, the local chief. “We have learnt a lot from this and I will copy this example and encourage my people to have their own farms.”

29 August 2013 - A senior UN official launched a South Sudan Recovery Fund (SSRF) project in the state capital Bentiu today, which will invest over 17 million dollars into the state in coming months.

UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Toby Lanzer launched the project, which will initially target road construction.

Mr. Lanzer, who is also Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (DSRSG) in South Sudan, called for transparency and accountability in using the funds, adding that more funds would come if they were used well.

“We have up to 100 million South Sudanese pounds for the southern areas of Unity State,” he said. “... We need to make sure that we use this money very carefully … and that we are able to account for every penny in the hope the donors will provide us even more.”

The SSRF, managed by UNDP, is a multi-donor fund aimed at stabilizing areas affected or prone to insecurity so that communities can establish ties, including trade relationships.

The project will kick off after Unity State Caretaker Governor Joseph Nguen Monytuel presents a master plan to the SSRF Steering Committee for approval. It is expected to be implemented over the next three years, prioritizing the road connecting Leer County to Panijiyar, Koch and Mayendit and to Lakes and Warrap states.

“Once the three states are connected, the movement of people will increase and this will contribute to building up the trust,” said Bentiu resident Abraham Tut, who attended the event.

John Galuak, another participant, said the project would help communities live better lives, as they would have increased access to goods.

UNMISS supported UNDP in mobilizing participants during county consultations and will also provide support in monitoring project implementation.

Any other money raised by the fund will target construction of nine police stations in the area.

“The project is important because it will help to reduce insecurity in the area,” said Daniel Wal, a representative of Koch County Commissioner. “Insecurity exists between the three states. The police stations that will be constructed will improve the security further.”

6 September 2013 - Boosting education in Eastern Equatoria State, UNMISS launched a project to construct a two-classroom block at Jelei Primary School in Nimule County today.

“We have a school here but there has never been a (solid) structure to accommodate the children and teachers,” said Jelei Community Chief Angelo Wani.

Khan Mohammad, team leader for UNMISS Recovery, Reintegration and Peace-building in Eastern Equatoria, said his section had received $50,000 as part of its Quick Impact Projects (QIPs). “The money has been divided into two halves to serve both Acholi and Madhi tribes.”

In addition to the Jelei community of the Madhi tribe, UNMISS will support construction of a similar classroom block for the Ofrika community of the Acholi tribe in Magwi County.

“We (had) a feeling that we (were) living in a forgotten land,” said Ofrika Chief Paul Musoro Moju, when the project for his community was launched on 3 September.

State Minister of Education Michael Lopuke said the government would try to build on projects UNMISS had started.

Both projects will be implemented by two local non-governmental organizations with supervision from UNMISS and county authorities.

The projects join several QIPs UNMISS is supporting in different states of South Sudan. The mission provides funds to selected communities to support small-scale, activities and projects that help consolidate peace through strategic livelihood activities.

6 September 2013 - In line with South Sudan’s efforts to reform its security sector, the first batch of candidates attending the pilot Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programme at Mapel Transitional Facility in Western Bahr El-Ghazal are set to graduate on 16 September.

Starting in May 2012, some 290 ex-combatants from the Greater Bahr El-Ghazal area received three months of vocational training in woodwork, masonry, construction, car mechanics, plumbing, agriculture, English literacy and numeracy as well as other practical skills to prepare them for transformation to civilian life.

UNMISS provided transport for staff and training material, while the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) supported the training programmes.

“The programme is significantly different from the DDR of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement period,” said DDR Commission Chairperson William Deng Deng at the start of the programme. “The policy has been completely re-written to reflect the reality in South Sudan as an independent nation.”

Giving an example, he said DDR candidates would continue to receive wages for a year, even as they underwent vocational training, and support in their communities after reintegration.

The ex-combatants are now participating in core business and financial skills training to help them turn their new vocational skills into viable businesses when they return to communities. The training will end on 13 September and it is expected that President Salva Kiir will preside over a graduation ceremony three days later.

The World Bank will oversee the reintegration process through implementing partners. Candidates will also receive tools for their chosen vocations at DDR state offices when they return to communities across Lakes, Western Bahr El-Ghazal, Northern Bahr El-Ghazal and Warrap states.

Sabit Adok Yuang, a disabled former Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) soldier from a cattle-keeping community in Yirol, Lakes State, was excited about skills they had gained and the prospect of returning to their communities to put these skills into practice.

“I learned about taking care of goats and chicken,” he said. “We have learned a lot.”

In addition to vocational skills, the candidates also learned about health care, with specific emphasis placed on malaria and HIV/AIDS.

“When you stay here for three months, you come out with a lot of knowledge and you reflect on your life with your family,” said Mr. Yuang. “… My disability (will not hinder) me… My dream is to open a pharmacy in my area, buy a few animal drugs and sell them to cattle owners.”

He recommended that future training include aspects of basic veterinary care and knowledge.

The National DDR Commission and its partner organizations will evaluate the pilot phase in coming weeks and use lessons learned to improve the programme. This will also help ensure the successful roll-out of other planned DDR training centres in Pariak, Jonglei State and Tirrangore, Eastern Equatoria State.

10 September 2013 - UNMISS staff in Warrap State today donated various food items to residents of Mayen Gumel village in state capital Kuajok who were affected by recent floods.

Led by the mission’s acting State Coordinator Isaac Lappia, an UNMISS team delivered 26 bags of sorghum, two boxes of biscuits and a bag of flour to residents of the village’s fourteenth block.

“UNMISS staff, in whichever (small) way, sought to alleviate the suffering of the flood-affected victims, especially those … very near to our base here in Kuajok town,” said Mr. Lappia. “We want to … help raise the spirit of the community following the impact of the floods.”

Angelo Ngor of the Warrap State Relief and Rehabilitation Commission witnessed the handover of the items, which were bought with personal donations made by UNMISS staff members that totaled 4,425 South Sudanese pounds (about 1000 U.S. dollars).

This year’s heavy rains have hit hard all six counties in the state. According to a recent report by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 27,000 people in five states of South Sudan needed assistance as of 1 September following the floods. Over 60 per cent of those flood victims live in Warrap State.

“In all the states where floods have happened so far, heavy rains have caused damage to houses, crops and basic infrastructure,” the OCHA report said.

“Assessment findings have shown that the most urgent needs are for household items, clean water, emergency drugs and, in some cases, short-term food assistance to get families through the flood season.”

The South Sudan Commission for Refugee Affairs (CRA) and UNHCR have begun the relocation of Sudanese refugees from Upper Nile State to Ajuong Thok in Unity State.

The first group of 182 refugees left the Upper Nile State capital Malakal in a boat on Sunday, bound for Rubkona in Unity State.They were accompanied by an official of the CRA and a nurse working with the national non-governmental organisation Humane Development Council.

“We have informed the refugees that the Government has no intention of establishing a refugee camp or settlement in Kodok or Lelo,” said the South Sudan Refugee Affairs Commissioner John Bol Akot, referring to the communities in Upper Nile State where the refugees had settled.

Over 2,100 refugees fled to South Sudan from villages in Kaunyaro Hill in the Sudanese state of South Kordofan. Aerial bombardments and ground offensives had prevented many refugees from farming, resulting in food shortages over the past year that left some individuals visibly malnourished.

They started to arrive in Upper Nile State in mid-July, and during their trek through the bush some refugees died from exhaustion, hunger and disease.

The Refugee Affairs Commissioner said that about 70 per cent of the refugees are women and children. “They should not be located close to the border, for their own protection and safety,” said Mr. Akot. “We are therefore urging them to register for relocation in order to access protection and assistance in a sustainable manner.”

A total of 203,413 refugees from Sudan are currently registered within South Sudan.

The UNHCR Representative, Mr. Cosmas Chanda, credited the untiring support of the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, local authorities, the Upper Nile State Ministry of Health and other humanitarian partners in Malakal for the swift response to the refugees’ urgent needs.

UNHCR distributed emergency relief items, such as sleeping mats, blankets, soap, kitchen sets and jerry cans. The International Committee of the Red Cross provided plastic sheeting and mosquito nets, while WFP supplied food and nutrition products.

UNICEF has furnished water purification tablets and buckets, and the World Health Organisation provided medical supplies for the boat trip which lasted more than 30 hours.

Upon arrival in Ajuong Thok,said Mr. Chanda, the refugees will receive a full package of assistance that will include individual family plots of land, shelter, health, water and sanitation services.

14 September 2013 - Persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have the same rights as everyone else to freedom of movement and freedom from arbitrary detention, an UNMISS official said in Warrap State capital Kuajok today.

“It is not a crime to have HIV,” said UNMISS Justice Affairs Officer Magnus Andersen during a monthly Rule of Law forum, organized by the UNMISS Justice Advisory Section, the UN Development Programme, the Warrap State High Court and the state government’s Legal Administration office.

This month’s forum focused on justice for persons living with HIV under the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan, the national Penal Code and international legal instruments.

“The police cannot arrest somebody only on suspicion of having HIV,” said Mr. Andersen. “Persons living with HIV have the same right to move and settle down as any other person.”

UNMISS Human Rights Officer Bernard Mugisha delivered a presentation that highlighted the need for proper medical treatment and the rights of persons living with HIV to access education and jobs.

Twenty-three participants from UN agencies, the South Sudan Prisons Service, the South Sudan National Police Service and non-governmental organizations attended the meeting. A lively debate addressed the importance of breaking the silence about HIV, the human rights of persons living with HIV and the criminalizing of HIV infection.

“Today’s forum has contributed to raising awareness about HIV and the rule of law,” said Director of Warrap Legal Administration Awad Haroun, who chaired the meeting.

“It is important that we all address these issues in our communities. In that way we can all support the implementation of relevant legislation and unite efforts to provide justice for persons living with HIV,” he added.

17 September 2013 - In line with South Sudan’s plan to transform its prisons into rehabilitation centres, UNMISS is providing skills training to inmates of Tibek Prison in the Jonglei State capital Bor.

The mission’s Corrections Advisory Unit in the state is training five female prisoners in tailoring and five male prisoners in carpentry.

“When they are discharged, (the inmates will have acquired) knowledge that will help them to start their new (lives),” said UNMISS Corrections Officer Olademiji Odusanya. “They will not even think of committing some crimes.”

The mission’s Corrections Advisory Unit is also providing veterinary services to a goat-rearing project managed by the prison center. This will help the prison to generate income of its own, said project manager and trainer John Mayen.

In an interview last year, South Sudan National Prisons Director General Abel Makoi Wol said it was important for prison officials to implement Section 43 of the country’s Prisons Act, which states that treatment of inmates should be based on a view of prison as a place of reform that can change criminals into law-abiding citizens.

“We need to move from simply locking up offenders to providing rehabilitation,” said Gen. Wol at the time.

18 September 2013 – Two hundred and ninety ex-combatants attended a graduation ceremony today at the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Training Center in Mapel, Western Bahr El-Ghazal State after completing intensive three-month vocational training courses.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit headed a government delegation that included cabinet ministers, Western Bahr El-Ghazal state governor Riziq Zakaria Hassan, senior SPLA officers and members of the National DDR Commission.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for South Sudan Hilde F. Johnson also attended the ceremony, which marked the conclusion of the first pilot phase to be held under the auspices of the new DDR programme in South Sudan.

“Today is a remarkable day in our new nation,” said President Kiir. “It is the liberators who have been disarmed, demobilized and trained. ”

The ex-combatants were drawn from Lakes, Warrap, Northern Bahr El-Ghazal and Western Bahr El-Ghazal states and included 18 women. They received training in a variety of fields designed to ease their transition to civilian life, and the course subjects ranged from electricity, auto mechanics and English literacy to plumbing, construction and agriculture.

“I can now build a house of different apartments,” said Elizabeth Emilio Ufo, a female ex-combatant who completed the construction skills course and eventually wants to form an association of builders.

SRSG Johnson hailed the successful completion of the pilot phase and formally handed over to government officials a number of facilities built by local communities with assistance from UNMISS. These include an administration office for the Mapel payam, a police station, a catering center and seven wells with potable water.

“DDR is essential for the future of South Sudan," said Ms. Johnson. "What makes a DDR succeed? Only when the key stakeholders are the drivers of the process.” The SRSG reaffirmed the mission’s commitment to continue its support for the DDR programme.

In the coming months, similar DDR vocational skills programmes are scheduled to get underway for ex-combatants living in states belonging to the greater Upper Nile and Equatoria regions of South Sudan. President Kiir pledged to support each of these programmes with a donation of $1.5 million US dollars.

The UNMISS Chinese Engineering Contingent supported the construction of buildings at the training center site, and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation provided much of the design, development and provision of the vocational training courses.

3 October 2013 - South Sudan’s struggle for independence would be in vain if students and youth failed to say no to violence, UNMISS Lakes State Acting Coordinator said today in the capital Rumbek.

Presenting stationary and sporting equipment to the Rumbek National Secondary School, Ranjana Chauhan called on students and the country’s youth to denounce violence and push for peace and unity.

“Your elders made a lot of sacrifices for this country to gain independence,” Ms. Chauhan said. “It is (for) you to maintain peace and security. You must carry on their good works and contribute meaningfully to the development of South Sudan, as you are the future leaders.”

The presentation, which included notebooks, teachers’ lesson plan books, chalk, paper, and pens as well as basketballs, volleyballs and footballs, was provided by the UNMISS Nepalese battalion as part of its Civil Military Cooperation activities.

Ms. Chauhan also handed over to the administration a renovated school dormitory. The facility, which had been closed to boarding for over 30 years, was renovated by the Nepalese battalion as an UNMISS Quick Impact Project.

“We heard you (also) need toilets and other assistance,” the Acting State Coordinator said. “These are part of the project’s second phase, which will commence soon.”

Head Teacher Shadrack Chol Stephen, on behalf of the students and administration, hailed the renovation and donated materials. “You have made us to believe that we are not alone. This gesture will open the doors to more boarding students.”

The renovation, which began on 6 September, gave the dormitory a new roof, paint and doors.

South Sudan’s oldest secondary school, Rumbek National was constructed in 1947 and began classes in 1948. The school has over 1,635 students, including 176 girls.

8 October 2013 - The lessons of peace in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal should be learned in border areas all over South Sudan, UNMISS’ top official said today in Gokmachar, Aweil North County.

“This … peace in the state is used for development by all the international partners,” said Special Representative of the Secretary-General Hilde F. Johnson, as she concluded a two-day visit to the state.

In Gokmachar, Miss Johnson met with the county commissioner to discuss cross border migration and UNMISS support to strengthen local government, mainly in the areas of police, corrections, justice and rule of law.

Ms. Johnson said she had also come to assess progress on the UNMISS County Support Base in Gokmachar, adding that the mission would mobilize non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to support the local community and maintain peace.

On the first day of her visit, Ms. Johnson met with state Governor Paul Malon Awan and his cabinet in the capital Aweil.

Following the meeting, she described Northern Bahr El-Ghazal as one of the most peaceful states in South Sudan, commending state officials for efficiently managing seasonal cross-border migration of the Rizeigat and Misseryia communities from Sudan.

“The migration across the border between Sudan and South Sudan has gone better this year than in several years’ time, and this is a result of strong leadership and capacity,” said Miss Johnson.

State officials said they worked closely with UNMISS in every area of common interest. “We are really connected in our meetings, in our activities and in sharing our areas of concern,” said Governor Awan.

Ms. Johnson also met with state Legislative Assembly members, the UN state team and representatives of civil society as well as international NGOs.

8 October 2013 - Mutual cooperation and understanding were vital in solving community problems, the head of UNMISS’ Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) section said today in Aweil East County, Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State.

Commander Seren Rugaard-Larsen was speaking at the launch of community work to be jointly carried out by Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers, UNMISS Kenyan peacekeepers, and residents of Manyeil Payam.

Aimed at strengthening relations between the three groups, the work includes digging ditches for drainage, draining and covering swamps, planting seedlings, cleaning streets and cutting grass around houses.

“This is a good beginning and I hope the work will spread not only to all communities in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State but all states across South Sudan,” Commander Rugaard-Larsen said.

Over the last two months, UNMISS and the SPLA have also constructed two boreholes through the mission’s Quick Impact Projects to assist local communities in tackling challenges.

“Our key problems are water and inadequate health facilities,” said Manyeil Payam Administrator James Bol Anei, noting that UNMISS and SPLA efforts would motivate the local community to participate in community work.

SPLA Commander Lt. Gen. William Manyang Manyang said the national army would continue to work with UNMISS in similar activities.

9 October 2013 - The South Sudanese government and humanitarian agencies have been providing Jonglei State flood victims with much-needed food and other items, a World Food Organization (WFP) official said today in the capital Bor.

WFP has been responding to community needs based on the “Interagency Rapid Needs Assessment (IRNA)”, which was carried out in Jonglei following the onset of flooding there, said Yasuki Misawa, WFP Head of Office in Jonglei.

IRNA recommended that immediate short-term assistance be given to 939 of the most vulnerable displaced households in Bor. WFP and other agencies will provide similar assistance to other affected counties, pending ongoing assessments to determine sizes of communities affected by flooding.

Distribution began on 27 and 28 September, when WFP and the South African non-governmental organization (NGO) Joint Aid Management (JAM) gave 939 displaced Bor households 57.21 metric tons of food for a one and half month period, Mr. Misawa noted.

An additional 250 metric tons of food was sent to Fangak County from Malaka stockpiles last week.

In partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), WFP is also planning to provide “Food for Asset (FFA)” for the 286 most vulnerable displaced households in Baidit Payam (district) of Bor (based on the IRNA assessment). Under the programme, workers from these households would be given food for constructing a secondary dyke, and also provided with fishing twines, hooks and nets.

Gabriel Deng Ajak, Director for South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) in Jonglei, said the South Sudan High Level Flood Management committee was also sending tents and mosquito nets to flood-affected communities. “Now we are providing assistance to Bor County and we will appeal for more (tents and mosquito nets), so that we will also be able to provide similar assistance to the rest of the counties.”

According to Director Ajak, nine out of the state’s 11 counties -- Bor, Twic, Uror, Duk, Ayod, Pigi, Pachalla, Nyirol and Fangak -- were affected by flooding.

Authorities in Jonglei’s Twic East County reported today that the flood water level there was continuing to rise rapidly.

So far, three Twic East County bridges have been damaged by floodwaters and become impassable, according to County Commissioner Dau Akoi Jurkuc. And hippopotami are threating populations in the county, as they seek grazing land in drier areas.

According to reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and SSRRC, over 100,000 people have been affected in Jonglei this year by flooding, which has also heightened children’s vulnerability to water- borne diseases.

11 October 2013 - The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) should distant itself from recruiting and hosting children within the army and call violators to account, UNMISS Child Protection Officer Jane Juan said today at an SPLA workshop in Juba.

The call referred to an order by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) Chief of General Staff, James Hoth Mai, on 14 August, to report all children in the army within of a month and a half (30 September).

The document urged all SPLA to assume full responsibility for violations to children’s rights, including intended and unintended recruitment of children, occupation of schools, sexual exploitation and abuse, and killing as well as maiming, Ms. Juan said.

She was speaking at the closing of the three-day workshop, which aimed to inform the SPLA about accountability for recruiting and using children in the army, and how it could be de-listed from the UN Secretary-General's report listing the SPLA as an army that still has child soldiers.

“Some SPLA officers deny that children exist in their ranks,” said SPLA Child Protection Unit head in Juba Brigadier General Chaplain Khamis Edward.

Denying the truth would not help remove the SPLA from the Secretary-General’s blacklist of countries supporting recruitment of child soldiers, he said.

Brig. Gen. Edward added that the SPLA as an army was committed to cleaning its name by ensuring that no child was left within the ranks. “I am urging all the division commanders to understand that the time has come for all of us to account.”

SPLA Lieutenant Peter Lasu noted that the high illiteracy rate among senior army officers was a key impediment to fuller realization of a child-free SPLA.

He said some illiterate SPLA officers considered improvements in the system a challenge to their management, as they could not read and interpret polices needed for effective reform.

UNMISS Child Protection Officer Monica Michelle Kemanzi told participants that the SPLA should stand against soldiers who recruited or held children by either removing or demoting them.

“If the SPLA can remove or demote or arrest and try their members who have been accused of child rights violations, they can send a positive signal to the international community,” Ms. Kemanzi said.

Brig. Gen. Chaplain noted that about 1,043 SPLA Child Protection Officers from all military installations countrywide had been trained to identify and report children in the army.

Major topics of the workshop included child rights, a child’s best interest, the legal framework for grave child rights violations, and punitive orders.

11 October 2013 - Laws should be passed forcing parents to send their daughters to school and protect them against early marriages, a top official said today in Wau, Western Bahr El-Ghazal State.

“We need you to make laws in the assembly that force all parents to send their daughters to the school”, state Minister of Education Morris Yel Akol said at a Wau Youth Centre celebration marking International Day of the Girl Child.

“This day is very important because it cares about girls’ education, and girls are the backbone of the society,” Minister Akol added. “If you have an educated wife at home there will be medical care for children, there will be a good environment for children, and there will be good upbringing for children.”

Recognizing the need for fresh and creative ways of sending girls to school, the theme of International Day of the Girl Child in South Sudan this year is ‘Innovating for Girls’ Education’.

Only 17 per cent of the country’s girls currently complete the eight-year primary school cycle, according to the General Education Strategic Plan (2012-2017).

Finances, cultural barriers, early marriages, sexual harassment and violence in and out of educational settings prohibit the majority from attending school, noted a statement released by UNICEF.

“The situation is particularly alarming for South Sudan where a girl is three times more likely to die in child birth than complete Grade 8,” UNICEF Chief of Basic Education and Gender Equality Simon Mphisa said in the statement.

“An incomplete education means unfulfilled potential,” Mr. Mphisa said. “Therefore, there is need to come up with innovative ways of ensuring that girls not only enrol in school but stay in school, learn and complete their education.”

UNICEF, the government and other partners were using innovation to reach children at the greatest risk of being out of school. Innovation can mean new ways of overcoming barriers, like improving sanitary facilities and keeping girls safe as they walk to and from educational facilities.

The South Sudanese government, with support from partners, had embraced the Accelerated Learning Programme, which ensured that girls who had dropped out of school could still complete their education, Minister of Education, Science and Technology John Gai Yoah, said in the statement.

The programme was also focusing on “community mobilization and advocacy to promote girls’ education, the introduction of school feeding programmes and provision of child-friendly schools with adequate sanitary facilities as a way of ensuring that girls complete their education,” Mr. Yoah said.

The Day’s celebration in Wau, which kicked with a procession of teachers, female students and pupils from all Wau schools, was organized by the state Ministry of Education and supported by UNICEF.

10 October 2013 – To create awareness about legal protection for victims of gender-based violence, a workshop was held today for 55 women by the government and partners in the Jonglei State capital Bor.

“There are a lot of gaps,” said Abuk Gabriel, a director in the state Ministry of Gender. “Women do not know their rights (or) how and where they report cases of gender-based violence.”

The one-day training workshop, organized by the Ministry of Gender, UN Development Programme and UNMISS, covered topics like sexual gender-based violence, human rights and how women could be protected legally.

Ms. Gabriel said organizing such workshops would help address cases of domestic violence and highlight implications of forced marriage, noting that this was very common in the state.

“If a young girl is being forced to marry a man by her father, the mother does not have a say (in the matter),” she said. “This is a violation of the girls’ right to (education).”

UNMISS Judicial Affairs Officer Mike Dzakuma said the workshop would help participants to advocate for women rights in their communities.