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Juba Independent, Buluk, Juba (2024)

18/09/2023

《Monday 18 September 2023 Juba》Members of National Parliament for SPLM-IO walked out of an ordinary sitting in protest for the passing of the National Elections Act to pave ways for 2024 general elections. The members of the Parliament declared the unilateral decision by the SPLM Parliamentary Caucus to pass the National Elections Act the violation of the peace agreement.

" We call upon the guarantors of the revitalized agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) to immediately intervene to rescue the peace agreement," Said Nathaniel Oyet Pierino, the deputy chairman of SPLM-IO.

Nathaniel Oyet Pierino, the deputy chairman of SPLM-IO, who doubles as the first deputy speaker of the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) told journalists in a press conference at the SPLM-IO General Secretariat this evening that the manner in which the bill was passed was a clear violation of the peace agreement.

Oyet demanded the Troika, RJMEC, AU, IGAD, and other guarantors to intervene and stop the violations perpetrated by members of the SPLM Party.

On related development, the deputy chairman of the SPLM -IO added their chairman is undergoing serious restrictions. He can't travel to other States and abroad.

" Our chairman Dr. Riek Machar has never left Juba since he came in 2020. He did not visit any State or leave the country for treatment. He is sick in Juba and he treats himself in Juba. Our chairman was invited to Wau for a conference organised by the State but he was denied, he was also invited in West Africa by one of the heads of State and he was denied; even the current ongoing UN General Assembly in New York he was invited but again denied," Oyet explained. He added that democracy is further abused by giving the president prerogative to appoint 5% of the members of Parliament.

In August, the majority SPLM Parliamentary Caucus unanimously passed the controversial national fiscal budget 2023/2024 to approve a 400 percent salary increment instead of an earlier proposed 600 percent increment for civil servant salaries.

But the SPLM-IO lawmakers in the parliament also walked out of that parliamentary sitting on the budget passing protesting the decision, saying it was not in favour of civil servants. However, the Minister of Information Mr. Michael Makuei Lueth rubbished move as political propaganda.

© Juba Independent

18/09/2023

Breaking News
《Monday 18 September 2023 Juba》SPLM - IO MPs break silence citing their chairman Dr. Riak Machar has always been denied travel both within and internationally including going for treatment.

The question is why would there be restrictions when parties to the conflict are for peace

© Juba Independent

14/09/2023

Juba woke up to chilling drizzling weather. Everyone must go to work.

13/09/2023

《Facts about African History》The Maji Maji Rebellion.
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The Maji Maji war lasted from 1905 until 1907 and was one of the biggest wars against colonial powers in Africa. The Maji Maji Uprising in Tanganyika was one of the most significant African challenge to German colonial rule when the German had colony.

The Uprising lasted two years and involved people over 10,000 square miles (Tanganyika is modern-day Tanzania). Tanzania 🇹🇿 was acquired largely through the efforts of the German Colonization Society, founded by Dr. Karl Peters.

When Germany established its control over Tanganyika by 1898, it imposed a particularly violent regime in order to control the population, including a policy of killing kings who resisted German occupation.

This earned Peters, who was now the Tanganyika colonial governor, the name “Milkono wa Damu,” meaning “Man with Blood on His Hands.”

Throughout this period of German occupation the African population was also subjected to high taxation and a system of forced labor, whereby they were required to grow cotton and build roads for their European occupiers.

The oppressive regime bred discontent among the Africans, and resentment reached a fever pitch in 1905 when drought hit the region. A prophet—Kinjikitile Ngwale—emerged, who claimed to know the secret to a sacred liquid that could repel German bullets called “Maji Maji,”.

Thus, armed with arrows, spears, and doused with Maji Maji water, the first warriors of the rebellion began to move against the Germans, attacking at first only small German outposts, such as at Samanga, and destroying cotton crops.

The rebellion spread throughout the colony, eventually involving 20 different ethnic groups all of whom wished to dispel the German colonizers. As such it was the first significant example of interethnic cooperation in the battle against colonial control.

The apex of the rebellion came at Mahenge in August 1905 where several thousand Maji Maji warriors attacked but failed to overrun a German stronghold. On October 21, 1905 the Germans retaliated with an attack on the camp of the unsuspecting Ngoni people who join the rebellion.

The Germans killed hundreds of men, women, and children. This attack marked the beginning of a brutal counteroffensive that left an estimated 75,000 Maji Maji warriors dead by 1907. The Germans also adopted famine as a weapon, destroying the crops of Maji Maji supporters.

Although the Maji Maji Uprising was ultimately unsuccessful, it forced Kaiser Wilhelm’s government in Berlin to institute reforms in their African colonies as they realized the potential cost of their brutality.

Furthermore, the uprising would become an inspiration for later 20th Century freedom fighters who called for similar interethnic unity as they struggled against European colonial rule. The Germans ended up torturing and killing thousands of unarmed people in now Tanzania.

13/09/2023

《Wednesday Septmber 13, 2023 - Juba》 Excessive use of power has put the Acting Mayor of Juba City Council Mr. Emmanuel Khemis in danger of impeachment.

The lawmakers at the National Transitional Assembly were outrageous by actions of the Acting Mayor of Juba that put the leadership of country to shame after he assaulted vendors at Seven-Days-Run-about in Juba.

Following the viral two minutes video that circulated on social media, the parliamentarian at the National Legislative Assembly in their sitting today demanded the Governor of Central Equatoria State to immediate remove the Acting Mayor from his duties.

Mach Thon, a lawmaker representing Upper Nile in Nasir County described the actions of the Mayor as inhuman and against the law. "Threatening vendors and carrying a pistol does not reflect the picture of South Sudan. If somebody is accused, we laws that can be referred to for lawful arrest and trial," he added.

Thon further cited chapters 18 and 19 of South Sudan Transitional Contitution stipulates against torture, harassment, intimidation, and humiliation of anyone and these articles were violated by the Acting Mayor.

In a similar response, the lawmakers in the Legislative Assembly of the City Council ordered the Mayor to appear before the August House for questioning.

It still remain to be seen whether the Governor of Central Equatoria State would respect the demands of the MPs from National Legislative Assembly.

© Juba Independent

03/09/2023

South Sudan is staged to host the first National Economic conference, under the Theme: " Towards a Diversified, Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth"

The Official Opening is scheduled to take place on Monday 4th September 2023 at Freedom Hall. Time: 9:00am.

It will be followed by the plenaries discussions on the 5th, 6th and 7th in Radisson Blu Hotel.

02/09/2023

Facts about Africa.

Do you know that only 8 countries in Africa print their currency.

They are :

1) Morocco 🇲🇦
2) Egypt 🇪🇬
3) Algeria 🇩🇿
4) Nigeria 🇳🇬
5) Kenya 🇰🇪
6) South Africa 🇿🇦
7) Sudan 🇸🇩
8) DRC 🇨🇩

01/09/2023

MILITARY TAKE OVER IN GABON:

Army officers in Gabon appear on national TV to announce taking over power from president Ali Bongo. The defiant army nullifies president Ali Bongo's election win ending his family's 53-year rule.

In recent years West Africa have been marred with numerous coups.

01/09/2023

BREAKING NEWS:

31 August 2023: President Salva Kiir Mayardit appoints Amb. Dr. James Pitia Morgan as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperations replacing the Acting Minister Deng Dau Deng.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is a cabinet-level government ministry responsible for the implementation and management of South Sudan's foreign policy and international activity.

Prior to his sacking, Deng served as the Acting Minister from March 2023. He hails from Twic County of Jonglei State.

Amb. Morgan is a high figure within the South Sudan government right from the liberation struggle serving in various portfolios. Before being entrusted with new assignment he has been serving as the South Sudan Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union.

Amb. Morgan comes from the Equatoria region particularly from the Nyepo Community of Kajo Keji County. Nyepo is one of the tribes of South Sudan found in the northern part of the county and they they border Juba and Lainya Counties.

He becomes the first person from the Nyepo Community to serve as a National Minister since independence.

Juba Independent

28/08/2023

BREAKING NEW: HISTORY

South Sudan get their first FIBA World Cup victory over China in a thrilling match on 28th August 2023.

🇸🇸

25/08/2023

South Sudan Basketball 🏀 Team (The Bright Stars) will play their first ever World Cup in Manilla the capital city of Philippines on 26 October 2023 at 10:00 CAT.

South Sudan is the hope for the whole continent in this tournament.

What are your expectations being represented in international sports.

25/08/2023

South Sudan releases the final roster of players to start the Basketball 🏀 World Cup in Manilla Philippines.

25/08/2023

Juba Independent is back with authentic and reliable news. Just follow the page.

03/03/2023

3 March 2023 Juba.
BREAKING NEWS: President Salva Kiir has relieved the Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs Angelina Teny and the Minister of Interior Mahmoud Solomon in Republican Decrees.

The president Kiir also switched the Ministries in a similar decree.

12/01/2023

Finally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Republic of South Sudan have confirmed that 3rd to 5th February 2023 as the exact date for the Holy Father Pope Francis and his accompanying delegation to South Sudan.

This is the second time the visit of the Pope to the country has been confirmed after it failed to materialise in 2022.

According to the Ministry, more details will be communicated in few days.

04/12/2022

UNMISS critical observation on the marauding cattle keepers in the country.

The head of UNMISS on Thursday said the unregulated migration of cattle remains a driver of communal conflict and violence in South Sudan.

Nicholas Haysom was addressing the South Sudan National Livestock Conference which was attended by Vice President James Wani Igga, a host of ministers, state governors, and parliamentarians.

The UNMISS chief said in the second quarter of 2022, his Mission’s Human Rights Division reported that community-based militias and self-defense groups, whose main objective is to protect herds of cattle from external attack, were in fact responsible for 60 percent of civilian deaths.

“Unregulated transhumance—the flow of cattle through migration routes—also continues to be a major driver of communal conflict in South Sudan,” he said. “It is not just a domestic phenomenon, but one that crosses regional borders and invokes sensitive issues of ethnic politics, land ownership, borders, grazing rights, and access to water.”

“In all these scenarios, the proliferation of weapons, lack of economic livelihoods, and climate change are contributing factors,” he added.

Haysom said the manipulation of local-level conflict by national political actors, which adds fuel to the fire, cannot be ignored.

He added that prolonged insecurity has led to the erosion of traditional, local, and state authorities.

“And in the absence of dispute resolution, criminal accountability, and justice mechanisms, a culture of impunity has taken root,” he warned. “This sparks vicious cycles of counter raids and retaliatory attacks that, once unleashed, are difficult to quell.”

He said livestock plays a central role in the fabric of life in the country and that it has been vital to the economy, culture, and social structure of the people of South Sudan even before independence.

“And this is what makes it (livestock) a valuable form of currency and, therefore, both an incentive for both cooperation as well as an incentive for conflict among communities,” he said. “But whereas cattle raids were once cyclical, small scale, and mostly localized, the nature of this consequential violence has changed.”

According to the UN boss, the consequences of cattle-related violence on inter-communal harmony are devastating and long-lasting, setting up cycles that are difficult to break and undermine progress this country has made towards peace.

“This is why cattle raids and migration-related conflict are an immediate protection and human rights concern for the United Nations here,” he said. “More broadly, it is an obstacle to the full implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement. But the root causes go deep and, therefore, invoke a broader, collective responsibility to address the problem.”

“Solutions must go beyond retaliatory dynamics at the surface and look into broader issues of accountability, reconciliation, political inclusion, state effectiveness, development, and the proliferation of arms among the civilian population,” he added.

Haysom said UNMISS is providing technical assistance to review draft legislations on livestock management in South Sudan, including the Livestock Bill, Animal Production Bill, Veterinary Bill, Meat Marketing Bill, and Land Act and Policy.

“We hope these bills will be comprehensively reviewed after this conference,” he said. “Let me conclude by re-stating that we cannot ignore the nexus between political conflict and its actors: cattle keepers, farmers, and armed youth. Much of today’s cattle-related conflicts are an extension of politics by other means.”

16/11/2022

BREAKING NEWS:

Juba 16 November 2022, President Salva Kiir fired Warrap State Governor Aleu Anyieny Aleu and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Peter Mayen Majongdit through a Decree read on the State Owned TV.

The circumstances for their dismission from their positions are still unclear.

04/11/2022

Juba 4 November 2022: CEPO Executive Director receives an award of African Outstanding Professionalism in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) Executive Director Mr. Edmond Yakani extends his gratitude to Business Executive Group, Accra Ghana 🇬🇭 and Ethio Telecom for sponsoring the award.

"This award is not awarded to me because of my own efforts but it is because of our collective efforts ranging from my fellow staff of CEPO, journalists, and media in South Sudan and across the globe" Said Edmond.

As he receives the award, he called for immediate peace in Ethiopia🇪🇹, DRC, Sudan 🇸🇩 Libya 🇱🇾 Mali 🇲🇱 and South Sudan," He said.

He further called for African leaders to embrace democratic governance and abolish corruption, directorship, poor leadership, human rights violation, and enslaving Africans.

Edmond dedicated the award for observation of zero discrimination against people with disabilities and safety of journalists in South Sudan.

04/11/2022

Juba, 4 November 2022: The U.S. Embassy in South Sudan condemns in the strongest terms comments by Information Minister Michael Makuei concerning Christopher Allen, an American journalist killed while covering clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition in August 2017.

Makuei made the comments on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists in the Country on 3 November 2022.

"Minister Makuei’s remarks would be irresponsible and reprehensible" reads the statement.

The U.S. Embassy further seeks clarification whether Makuei's comments represent the position of the Government of South Sudan.

Finally, the U.S. Embassy once again renews its calls to the Government of South Sudan to conduct a credible inquiry into Mr. Allen’s death and to share its findings with Mr. Allen’s family.

03/11/2022

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Juba Pro. John Akech continues to unvail plans to improve the University. His new master plan is to construct new morden hostels for the ladies.

" My vision is to upgrade the girls hostels with 1,000 plus single rooms and self- contained studios at current Girls Hostel site. With no sustainable financing forthcoming, this dream will be mere ‘pie in sky. Yet, I know we can." He said. However he cited financial constraints as the major issue.

24/10/2022

FACTS ABOUT AFRICA

Thomas Fuller, an African sold into slavery in 1724 at the age of 14, was sometimes known as the “Virginia Calculator” for his extraordinary ability to solve complex math problems in his head. He was asked how many seconds there were in a year and a half, he answered in about two minutes, 47,304,000. Again he was asked how many seconds a man has lived who is 70 years, 17 days and 12 hours old, he answered in a minute and a half 2,210,500,800.

One of the men was working out the problems on paper, and informed Fuller that he was wrong, because the answer was much smaller. Fuller hastily replied, "'Top, massa, you forget de leap year." When the leap year was added in, the sums matched.

The African History

21/10/2022

BREAKING

SPLM Party dismissed Dr. Riek Machar from the party as Deputy Chairman and Pagan Amum from the position of Secretary General.

The decision was taken following recommendations from the Political Bureau to the national liberation council.

This is because Dr. Riek and Pagan Amum have their parties. The former is the Chairperson of SPLA-IO while the later I the Chairperson of Real SPLM.

21/10/2022

The Court in Kampala Uganda has finally dismissed the case of South Sudanese students who were barred from grudation by Kampala University main campus earlier this year. The judge claimed the evidence doesn't show any illegality on the University Administration actions.

The lawyer representing the South Sudanese students in Kampala vow to appeal to the High Court. "Our position is, by the fact that they are able to graduate students in the recent years, the suspension was automatically lifted. It is the same position that we are going to use that we are going to use to move to the High Court." Said Lawyer Stephen Nelson.

16/10/2022

The Chairman of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has expressed concern over the renewed and increased fighting the Tigray Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

The Chairman called for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, and resumption of humanitarian service delivery.

He urged the two parties to recommend to the dialogue as per their agreement to direct talks in South Africa supported by the International Community.

12/10/2022

Today in Juba, USAID announced a $5 million contribution to the United Nations World Health Organization to support essential health and nutrition services for crisis-affected people in food insecure locations in . This brings USAID’s humanitarian contribution to health care services in South Sudan over the past year to $34 million. USAID is the largest provider of humanitarian assistance to the people of South Sudan. https://ss.usembassy.gov/the-united-states-contributes-usd-5-million-to-the-who/ U.S. Embassy Juba, South Sudan, WHO - Republic of South Sudan

12/10/2022

South Sudan U17 are through to AFCON 2023 in Algeria

The Bright Stars beat Tanzania 4-3 in a semi final penalty shoot out after a one-all draw.

On Saturday 15 October 2022, the Bright Stars will face Uganda in the finals of the 2022 CECAFA zonal cup.

11/10/2022

HISTORICAL FACTS: The Aksumite Empire
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A trading empire centered in today Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen and Somaliland. It existed approximately 400BCE -10 CentAD, growing from the Iron Age proto-Aksumite period c. fourth century BC to achieve prominence by the first century AD.

Prospering thanks to agriculture, cattle herding, and control over trade routes which saw gold and ivory exchanged for foreign luxury goods, the empire's capital was located at Axum kingdom built lasting stone monuments and achieved a number of firsts.

It was the first sub-Saharan African state to mint its own coinage and, around 350 CE, the first to officially adopt Christianity. Axum even created its own script, written in Ge’ez, which is still in use in Ethiopia today.

The kingdom of Axum began to prosper from the 1st century CE thanks to its rich agricultural lands, dependable summer monsoon rains, and control of regional trade.
This trade network included links with Egypt to the north and the east, along the East African coast and Arabia.

Aksum was the original capital of the Kingdom of Aksum, a naval and trading power building stelae which were large stone towers that served as grave markers and reached up to 33 meters high.

In 1937, the 24-meter tall, 1,700-year-old Obelisk of Aksum was discovered. Today it is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Ancient architectural engineering from the height of the Aksumite empire.

Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion Axum Ethiopia, houses the Ark of the Covenant, bears a design similar to that of Eastern Orthodox churches in Europe. Its most recent building, reconstructed in the 1950s, has a dome similar to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.
It is heavily guarded.

Lalibela one of a holy town of the Aksumite Empire was famous for its churches carved from the living rock, which play an important part in the history of rock-cut architecture.

The kingdom went into decline from the 7th century CE due to increased competition from Muslim Arab traders and the rise of rival local peoples such as the Bedja.

Surviving as a much smaller territory to the south, the remnants of the once great kingdom of Axum would eventually rise again and form the great kingdom of Abyssinia/ Ethiopian Empire in the 13th century CE.

AKSUM: The African Kingdom Which Once Dominated Arabia – Part 2.

Aksum Empire was divided into Aksum proper and it's vassal kingdoms which paid tributes to it. Aksumites called their king “negus’ but these rulers were known as 'king of kings' in vassal states in order to differentiate them from local rulers.

As is the case with Egypt, because of Aksum’s greatness, attempts have been made to place its origin outside Africa. However, Aksum did not originate from one of the Semitic Sabaean kingdoms in the northern part of Arabia as some western historians claim. Historical research point to the fact that Aksum developed as a local power.

According to Tekle Tsadik Mekouria, groups of peoples of Semitic origin crossed the Red Sea and settled in northern Ethiopia. They were probably in search of more fertile and richer lands than their own desert country. This explains the ethnic and cultural similarities between Aksumites and southern Arabians.
The earliest recorded mention of Aksum was made during the second century by Claudius Ptolemy who mentions it as being peopled by Ethiopians. Heliodoros, a Graeco-Phoenician author of the third century also describes the arrival of the Aksumite ambassadors as equals and allies of the Meroitic king in his novel Aethiopica.

By around 270 AD, the fame of Aksum had reached Persia where it was considered one of the four greatest empires of the world. At the height of its glory between the 3rd–6th century AD, Aksum was the largest market serving the whole of northeastern Africa. The Byzantine Empire was desirous to remain on good terms with Aksum in the face of the Persian threat that they faced in the Red Sea. Aksumite merchants conducted trades as far as Alexandria in Egypt and across the Nile River. Aksum dominated the Red Sea coast until the end of the 9th century AD, exercising its influence from the shores of the Gulf of Aden to Zeila on the northern coast of areas now known as Somalia and Djibouti.

Between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, Aksum’s growth as a trading empire gradually eroded the power of Meroe. Meroe at the time was the southern administrative centre for the Nubian kingdom of Cush. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Aksum finally invaded Meroe around the 4th century bringing about its fall. It was also during the 4th century that the kings of Aksum became Christianized thereby consolidating their relationship with Egypt which was then under Byzantine rule. Around the same period, Akum extended its authority into southern Arabia and was by the 6th century able to subjugate Yemen which became its vassal state.

Its influence there lasted until the end of the 6th century when Persians invaded South Arabia and brought Aksumite influence there to a close. Aksum remained a major empire till 1270 when under a Zagwe dynasty it was conquered by King Yekuno Amlak, an Abyssinian. This conquest marked the beginning of the Ethiopian or Abysinnian Empire under Solomonid rulers.

09/10/2022

HISTORICAL FACTS: ETHIOPIA 🇪🇹 🇪🇹 🇪🇹 🇪🇹 💪🏿💪🏿✊🏾

"Women marched alongside men to the battle at Adwa 126 years ago. Just like their men-folk, Ethiopian women were ready to sacrifice themselves to prevent colonialists from sneaking into their country, thus forcing their children to live in servitude.

Empress Taytu Bitul is clearly a symbolic women she was not only a diplomat and stateswoman with resolve, but also an ingenious commandant versed in the art of war, a tactician par excellence. Taytu collected ten to twelve thousand women in the camp and issued water jugs to all of them, the army of another kind filled their jugs at the river and were ready to carry water to those who fought, wherever they stood. The Italian colonizers even appealed to her on the behalf of their commander as they started suffering from thirst.

“Women’s role at the battle of Adwa revealed the truth that nothing can be done without the participation of women and it would be an exemplary deed for today’s effort to recognize women’s participation all over the world. We generally hear that Ethiopia won the battle. But we ignore the fact that women played decisive role in the victory. There were ten-thousands of women who prepared their fathers, brothers, husbands and sons for the war in which they also took part. All in all women were the leading force behind the victory of Adwa, they were preparing food and water, providing medical care for the wounded and they were following the soldiers with a slogan of ‘freedom or death’. Lets not forget the role of our great grandmothers.”

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09/10/2022

8 African countries are shaking off European influence by trading under African regulations in 2022. These are:

1. Egypt 🇪🇬
2. Kenya 🇦🇴
3. Ghana 🇬🇭
4. Rwanda 🇷🇼
5. Tanzania 🇹🇿
6. Cameroon 🇨🇲
7. Mauritius 🇲🇺
8. Tunisia 🇹🇳

This is according to Business Insider Africa /
African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA)