Latest news with #Juba
Arab News
a day ago
- Business
- Arab News
Divided UN extends arms embargo on South Sudan as fears of renewed civil war grow
UNITED NATIONS: A divided UN Security Council voted Friday to extend an arms embargo on South Sudan, where escalating political tensions have led the UN to warn that the country could again plunge into civil war. A US-sponsored resolution to extend the embargo and other sanctions was approved by the narrowest margin — the minimum nine 'yes' votes required. Six countries abstained – Russia, China, Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Pakistan. The arms embargo, and travel bans and asset freezes on South Sudanese on the UN sanctions blacklist, were extended for a year until May 31, 2026. There were high hopes for peace and stability after oil-rich South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, becoming the world's newest nation. But the country slid into civil war in December 2013 when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir, who is from the largest ethnic group in the country, the Dinka, started battling those loyal to Riek Machar, who is from the second-largest ethnic group, the Nuer. A 2018 peace deal that brought Machar into the government as first vice president has been fragile, and implementation has been slow. A presidential election has been postponed until 2026. Last month, the UN envoy to South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, warned that the escalating rivalry between Kiir and Machar had degenerated into direct military confrontation between their parties and led to Machar's arrest. A campaign of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech is 'fueling political and ethnic tensions — particularly on social media,' he warned. And 'these conditions are darkly reminiscent of the 2013 and 2016 conflicts, which took over 400,000 lives.' US Minister Counselor John Kelley thanked the council after the vote, saying the arms embargo 'remains necessary to stem the unfettered flow of weapons into a region that remains awash with guns.' 'Escalating violence in recent months has brought South Sudan to the brink of civil war,' he said, urging the country's leaders to restore peace. Russia's deputy UN ambassador Anna Evstigneeva countered by saying the easing of Security Council sanctions on South Sudan is long overdue. She said the arms embargo and other sanctions are restricting implementation of the 2018 peace agreement. She accused the resolution's supporters of 'putting a brake on a successful political process unfolding in Sudan, as well as complicating the deployment and proper equipping of the national armed forces.' South Sudan's UN ambassador, Cecilia Adeng, expressed 'deep disappointment' at the extension of the arms embargo and other sanctions. 'The lifting of the sanctions and the arms embargo is not only a matter of national security or sovereignty, but also a matter of economic opportunity and dignity,' she said. 'These measures create barriers to growth, delay development, discourage foreign investment, and leave the state vulnerable to non-state actors and outlaws.'
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Divided UN extends arms embargo on South Sudan as fears of renewed civil war grow
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A divided U.N. Security Council voted Friday to extend an arms embargo on South Sudan, where escalating political tensions have led the U.N. to warn that the country could again plunge into civil war. A U.S.-sponsored resolution to extend the embargo and other sanctions was approved by the narrowest margin — the minimum nine 'yes' votes required. Six countries abstained – Russia, China, Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Pakistan. The arms embargo, and travel bans and asset freezes on South Sudanese on the U.N. sanctions blacklist, were extended for a year until May 31, 2026. There were high hopes for peace and stability after oil-rich South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, becoming the world's newest nation. But the country slid into civil war in December 2013 when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir, who is from the largest ethnic group in the country, the Dinka, started battling those loyal to Riek Machar, who is from the second-largest ethnic group, the Nuer. A 2018 peace deal that brought Machar into the government as first vice-president has been fragile, and implementation has been slow. A presidential election has been postponed until 2026. Last month, the U.N. envoy to South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, warned that the escalating rivalry between Kiir and Machar had degenerated into direct military confrontation between their parties and led to Machar's arrest. A campaign of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech is 'fueling political and ethnic tensions — particularly on social media,' he warned. And 'these conditions are darkly reminiscent of the 2013 and 2016 conflicts, which took over 400,000 lives.' U.S. Minister Counselor John Kelley thanked the council after the vote, saying the arms embargo 'remains necessary to stem the unfettered flow of weapons into a region that remains awash with guns.' 'Escalating violence in recent months has brought South Sudan to the brink of civil war,' he said, urging the country's leaders to restore peace. Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Anna Evstigneeva countered by saying the easing of Security Council sanctions on South Sudan is long overdue. She said the arms embargo and other sanctions are restricting implementation of the 2018 peace agreement. She accused the resolution's supporters of 'putting a brake on a successful political process unfolding in Sudan, as well as complicating the deployment and proper equipping of the national armed forces.' South Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Cecilia Adeng, expressed 'deep disappointment' at the extension of the arms embargo and other sanctions. 'The lifting of the sanctions and the arms embargo is not only a matter of national security or sovereignty, but also a matter of economic opportunity and dignity,' she said. 'These measures create barriers to growth, delay development, discourage foreign investment, and leave the state vulnerable to non-state actors and outlaws.'
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
South Sudan slapped with $74mln penalty in telco licence row
The government of South Sudan is facing a $74.32 million penalty over a flopped investment agreement with Vivacell, a foreign telecoms company that had won huge concessions on tax payments, licence fees, investment land and mobile frequencies and tariffs to operate in Juba, prior to independence in 2011. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) tribunal, in a landmark ruling delivered on May 26, 2025, ordered Juba to pay Vivacell the amount, which includes a principal of $48,452,035, interest of $20,849,535 and $5,024,983 in legal and other costs. South Sudan's information minister Michael Makuei said the 'exorbitant' claim threatens the economic stability and livelihoods of the South Sudanese people and that Juba's legal team is reviewing the award to determine the next step. Yet the ICC figure constitutes a significant reduction from an initial claim of $2.9 billion after Vivacell, which operated under Network of the World, shut down its operations in the country in March 2018, over a $66 million tax dispute, leaving more than 200 South Sudanese without jobs. The rules governing ICC arbitration, however, do not allow disclosures of details of each claim. The South Sudan government said Vivacell had failed to secure a proper licence following its independence and was operating under an outdated permit issued by Sudan, thereby evading tax and licensing payments totalling $66 million. Vivacell had obtained a licence in October 2003 to provide mobile telecommunication services in Southern Sudan from the New Sudan Telecommunication Corporation (NSTC), and the licence was amended the same day. In October 2007, a second amendment was signed between Vivacell and the Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal Services. The second amended agreement provided Vivacell with generous tax concessions, exemptions from customs duties, free land for mobile telephone infrastructure, extensive conditions regarding mobile frequency usage and tariffs and purported exclusive rights. This amended licence was granted for an agreed fee of $7.5 million, but Vivacell only paid $1.5 million of the sums due. Following the birth of the Republic of South Sudan in July 2011, the government established a telecoms regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA). In 2018, NCA sought to impose standard licensing fees on Vivacell, as had been applied to all other mobile operators. But the telco challenged the demand, leading to the suspension of its operating licence until the required fees were paid. Due to that dispute, Vivacell exited the market, abandoning its equipment and staff. The telco was primarily owned by Lebanon's Fattouch Investment Group, which holds a 75 percent stake, with remaining 25 percent owned by Wawat Securities, a company linked to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), South Sudan's dominant political party. In the wake of the latest arbitration decision, Juba says it is taking measures to ensure the country remains a safe investment destination for foreign investors, upholding law and order in business practices and defending the nation against unsubstantiated claims.'The government has identified priority sectors for investment, including in the fast-growing ICT, agriculture, transport infrastructure, petroleum, mining, and energy sectors, with the aim of diversifying the economy and reducing the economy's reliance on oil,' the government said in a statement.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
‘The worst we've ever seen': Cholera wards buckle as South Sudan races to contain deadly outbreak
The stench of vomit, chlorine and waste hangs heavy in the air at Juba Teaching Hospital's cholera ward. Patients lie on ageing military cots, half-naked and almost lifeless, as IV lines drip steadily into their shrivelled arms. Groans and retches break the stillness as nurses rush between beds tending to the sick. Mudasir Hasan survived after collapsing from dehydration three days earlier at a private hospital. The doctors there, unequipped to deal with serious cases of cholera, did not manage to hydrate the heavily built 41-year-old fast enough. He was brought in unconscious. 'Some people don't believe cholera exists, but it does,' he said. Mr Hasan was lucky he recovered after responding well to antibiotics and intravenous fluids, used when oral rehydration fails. But not everyone makes it in time. 'They often come in with severe dehydration and it can be too late for some,' said Lucia Thomas Loro, the ward's supervisor. Since October 2024, when a cholera outbreak was officially declared in South Sudan, the situation has spiralled out of control. The current caseload has reached over 56,000 across 45 of the country's 78 counties, with a mortality rate of 1.9 per cent, almost double of the global standard for the emergency threshold. Cholera, a treatable disease, has already claimed over 1,000 lives in South Sudan, with one death occurring just a day before The Telegraph visited the ward. Cholera can kill within hours. It starts suddenly, draining the body with diarrhoea, vomiting, and cramps. Without swift rehydration, organs fail. In severe cases, the skin becomes slack, the eyes hollow, and the pulse weakens. Death comes not from the bacteria itself, but from the speed and severity of the dehydration it causes. Officially, the facility holds 80 beds, but during peak periods it has to deal with as many as 140 patients at once, forcing the nurses to put people on the ground until a bed frees up. This is the only treatment centre for severe cholera in South Sudan's Central Equatoria state, where the capital Juba is located. The outbreak originated two years ago in neighbouring Sudan, where some 60,000 cases have since been recorded. South Sudan has reached nearly the same tally of cases in just seven months. The disease first began to spread in Renk, a northern border town, after it was brought in by refugees fleeing Sudan's civil war. More than one million people have crossed into South Sudan since the latest round of violence erupted in April 2023. Unity State, home to the Bentiu camp for internally-displaced people, now has the most cases. Pibor, which had none in March, has become the second hardest-hit. Central Equatoria State now ranks third, driven by the arrival of displaced people from Upper Nile State, where recent political tensions have turned violent, pushing the UN to warn that South Sudan is once again 'on the brink of war'. South Sudan has long suffered periodic cholera outbreaks, but this one is unique in speed, scale, and scope as conflict-created displacement, flooding, and lack of access to clean water are fuelling the outbreak, according to interviews with experts and officials. Now, even at the country's top public hospital in Juba, patients are being turned away due to lack of space and resources. 'This is the worst we've ever seen,' said Dr Kediende Chong, the Director General of Preventive Health Services and incident manager for the outbreak response. 'The rainy season, set to begin in June, is expected to worsen the crisis, as flooding latrines and dwindling access to clean water threaten a country where more than half the population already lacks safe drinking water. In theory, cholera thrives in wet conditions, but South Sudan's worst transmission occurred in the current dry season. 'Our fear is that when the rain starts, people in slum areas will be infected and we'll be overwhelmed,' said Dr Loro, the cholera ward supervisor. The government, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), has launched a comprehensive vaccination campaign. Over five million people out of a target population of six million have received the oral cholera vaccine so far. But without clean water, vaccines are only a stopgap. 'We have no logistics capacity,' said Dr Chong, the government official. 'But funders don't invest in us directly, only through NGOs and they have had their funding cut now.' Cuts to global development aid – especially from USAID, which has heavily invested in South Sudan – are already having catastrophic consequences. Five children died on the way to a treatment centre after funding cuts forced the nearest health facility to close, according to Save the Children. Before the cuts, international donors kept the health system afloat, covering as much as 80 per cent of its operating costs. Kennedy Wafula, country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in South Sudan, told The Telegraph that recent aid cuts have reduced their budget by an estimated 15 per cent. The organisation's cholera response programmes primarily focus on access to clean water and hygiene services for Sudanese refugees and people displaced by ongoing violence in South Sudan. 'The reduced funding has severely limited our ability to respond effectively to the outbreak.' he said. 'Our emergency response teams have been cut in half, so we're no longer reaching the numbers we need to.' In many areas, response efforts have been reduced to distributing chlorine tablets and oral rehydration salts, while projects focusing on long-term solutions for water and sanitation infrastructure have either stalled or been scaled back. Meanwhile at the cholera ward, the sick continue to arrive daily. Many will recover if they're treated in time, but some will never leave. As the rainy season approaches and funding cuts start to bite, it's not certain the ward at the Juba Teaching Hospital will be able to treat everyone.
Times of Oman
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
South Sudan crisis: What if the UN lifts its arms embargo?
Global concern is once again shifting to South Sudan, the world's youngest nation. Juba: The flare-up of a long-simmering conflict in the East African country has claimed thousands of lives. It has also displaced some 2.3 million people and pushed around 60,000 children into malnourishment. International efforts to end the conflict have included a United Nations (UN) embargo on arms transfers to the parties to the conflicts, which expires on May 31. UN Security Council members are set to vote on a draft resolution to extend the South Sudan sanctions regime. According to Amnesty International, the lives of civilians are at risk without an extension of the arms embargo. "We urge the [UN] Security Council to renew the embargo, enforce it and protect civilian lives," said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. "While the UN arms embargo has not been a panacea, the human rights situation would almost certainly be worse without it," he added. Amnesty describes as an open violation of the embargo the "deployment of armed Ugandan soldiers and military equipment to South Sudan since March 11, 2025." Violations of UN sanctions The UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan in 2018, and its sanctions regime on the country dates back to 2015. On May 30, 2024, the Council extended the sanctions for a year. In addition to the arms embargo, it also encompasses asset freezes and travel bans. At the time, the UN said it was open to reviewing the arms embargo through modification, suspension, or progressive lifting. In its estimation, arms shipments violated the UN resolution to end the conflict and further contributed to the instability in the country. However, a statement by International Crisis Group says that while the sanctions "appear to have made it harder for actors to deploy heavy weapons", the country's porous borders make it difficult to enforce a small arms and light weapons ban. In a letter to the UN in early 2024, South Sudan's First Vice President, Riek Machar, accused Uganda of "grave violation" of the arms embargo following the deployment of its troops to South Sudan. Amnesty's Crisis Evidence Lab recently verified two videos featuring Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) personnel and equipment. "The first shows dozens of UPDF soldiers arriving at Juba International Airport on March 11. The second shows armored personnel carriers and military trucks," Amnesty said. Amid the reported violations, there's growing concern over whether the UN can effectively intervene and what a renewal of the arms embargo could even mean. Is UN peacekeeping working? Recently, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for 12 months, expressing "deep concern" over the deteriorating situation in the country. Amid these continued efforts, some citizens are questioning the impact of UN peacekeeping efforts. "The UN is here in Juba or in other parts of South Sudan. They are there, they are roaming around the streets, but they cannot take an action," Abraham Maliet Mamer, Secretary General of the South Sudan Investment Authority, told DW. "I don't believe their mandate is clear. You cannot say you are peacekeeping, what peace are you keeping? People are fighting every day and you're not doing anything about it." The UN, however, insists that it is doing all it can to stop the conflict. "This country has suffered two civil wars before its independence and two after its independence. There is no appetite for more suffering in the population. They have suffered a lot due to civil wars. So, we have to stop the civil war at whatever cost," Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, UNMISS Force Commander, told DW.
