Latest news with #SouthSudanPeople'sDefenseForces
The Star
07-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
South Sudan army confirms carrying out aerial bombardment
JUBA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) on Wednesday acknowledged carrying out what it termed as strategic aerial bombardments in Jonglei and Unity states. "As of now, SSPDF Command has no comments to make on reported strategic bombing raids in Fangak and Mayom counties of Jonglei and Unity states, respectively," SSPDF spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang said in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The airstrikes by the SSPDF in Kueryick village of Mayom County killed six people and wounded 12 others, according to the state's youth leader. "The destruction inflicted upon civilians is unacceptable and violates fundamental human rights, undermining efforts toward peace and stability in the region," Nyadin Lual Gai, chairperson of Unity State Youth Union, said in a statement. The airstrike near a World Food Program warehouse in New Fangak damaged a dike that protects local people from floods. The military operation came after the bombing of a hospital run by the global medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and a market in Old Fangak on Saturday, which left seven people dead and 27 others seriously injured. The bombing of the health facility, which serves about 110,000 people, has since been strongly condemned by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, which monitors the implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
Russia Today
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
US orders staff to leave African state
The US has ordered non-emergency government personnel in South Sudan to leave the country, citing security concerns following reports of heavy clashes in recent weeks between the African nation's forces and armed youth in the northern town of Nasir. Several soldiers of the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF), including an army general, were killed on Friday when a UN helicopter came under attack while attempting to evacuate them from troubled Upper Nile State. According to the UN, one crew member died and two others were severely injured. In a travel advisory issued on Saturday, the US State Department warned of ongoing armed conflict in South Sudan, including fighting between various political and ethnic groups. 'Weapons are readily available to the population,' it stated, adding that US government employees in the East African country are 'under a strict curfew' and 'must use armored vehicles for nearly all movements' due to violent crime, such as shootings, robberies, and kidnappings. The landlocked state became Africa's newest country after it gained independence from Sudan in 2011. However, it has remained volatile since the end of a five-year civil war that erupted in 2013 over a feud between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his current first vice president, Riek Machar. Despite a 2018 peace deal allowing the rivals to share power, political tensions persist due to President Kiir's frequent dismissals of officials reportedly loyal to Machar. Security forces arrested two ministers and several senior military officials allied with Machar earlier this month. The move came after tensions began to flare up again when fighting erupted in Nasir on February 14 between Sudanese armed forces and the White Army militia, which is mostly made up of Nuer people, Machar's ethnic group. Sudanese government spokesperson Michael Makuei accused the vice president of being responsible for the unrest, saying the arrests were made because the Machar-allied officials are in 'conflict with the law.' He said they collaborated with the militia and attacked an army barracks near Nasir on March 4. In a recent national address, President Kiir vowed that he would 'never' return the country to war. On Friday, an African Union delegation visited South Sudan and urged Kiir to 'create a room for a meeting with the first vice president as soon as possible to help reduce the tension,' according to a government statement.
Khaleej Times
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
UAE strongly condemns attack on UN mission, South Sudan troops
The UAE has condemned in the strongest terms an attack on a helicopter affiliated with the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and on South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF). The attack, which took place in Upper Nile State, resulted in the death of a member of the international force and several government troops, in addition to the injury of two crew members. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) expressed its strong condemnation of the attack, emphasising that it constitutes a violation of the principles of international law. Furthermore, it expressed its solidarity with the countries participating in UNMISS forces, and extended its condolences to the UN and the South Sudan government, and its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured. Meanwhile, South Sudan's president appealed for calm and pledged his country would "not go back to war", after the UN helicopter was attacked and a crew member killed on a rescue mission on Friday. A fragile power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar has been threatened in recent weeks by clashes between their allied forces in the northeastern Upper Nile State. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said its team was attempting to extract members of the South Sudanese army from the area when their helicopter came under fire, killing a crew member and seriously injuring two others. A South Sudanese army general and other officers were killed in the failed rescue mission, UNMISS said in a statement, saying the incident may constitute a war crime.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ottawa commits to resettling 4,700 Sudanese refugees, reopens family pathway following outcry
After it was declared the worst humanitarian crisis in the world by the African Union, Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada is committing to resettle 4,700 refugees fleeing the ongoing civil war in Sudan. Ottawa is also reopening applications on Feb. 25 for the permanent residence pathway program it created for close family members of Sudanese Canadians, adding 1,750 applications to the 3,250 it has already received for a total of 5,000. The ministry estimates the applications will lead to roughly 10,000 people resettling in Canada via their family anchors here. When that program opened in February 2024, Sudanese Quebecers were excluded because Quebec opted not to participate in the program. This time, 500 applications are being reserved for Quebecers until April 17, but applicants must resettle their Sudanese family members outside the province. The program has also been criticized for its relatively small scope, the processing times attached to applications — some applicants have been told they wouldn't be able to bring family members until 2027 or 2028 — and the high financial burden associated with it. Applicants must prove they are high earners or that they have $9,900 set aside per person they are applying for, in addition to processing fees of $635 per adult and $175 per child. South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF)'s senior officials visit Sudanese nationals seeking safety at the army headquarters after a night of violence in Juba, South Sudan, on Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Florence Miettaux) Mayada Ageeb, who is from the West Island of Montreal, plans to apply for her aunt, four cousins, an uncle, his wife and two children, as well as her grandmother. Ageeb said she and other community members were hugely relieved by the news that Quebecers would now be able to apply. They had grown anxious after being given three separate dates by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for the program to reopen with a workaround for Sudanese Quebecers, but those dates had come and gone without any word — until now. "It's good news, a lot of excitement," Ageeb said Thursday afternoon. She said she and her family will regroup to make sure their documents are in order. Earlier this month, two of her cousins, 14 and 16, were badly beaten at a militia checkpoint after soldiers searched their phones and discovered documents they had prepared in the hopes of applying to come to Canada. "It's a persistent thought that they might not be able to make it before we can actually get this process completed and and bring them here," she said. Of the 4,700 refugees Canada says it will resettle by the end of 2026, Miller's office said 4,000 would receive government assistance, while 700 would arrive through private sponsorship. The ministry says that from April 23, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2024, it resettled 1,360 Sudanese refugees in Canada. Of the more than 7,000 family members of Sudanese Canadians who applied for the permanent residence pathway program, 291 people had landed in Canada as of Feb. 2.
Zawya
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) urges parties to uphold peace deal following escalations in Upper Nile and Western Equatoria
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is deeply concerned by clashes in Nassir, Upper Nile, and persistent tensions between organized forces in Western Equatoria that have led to deaths, destruction of property and civilian displacement in both states. On 14-15 February, a series of violent exchanges took place between the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) and armed youth in Nassir. These included the use of heavy weaponry which has, reportedly, resulted in deaths and injuries to civilians as well as armed personnel. A pre-planned UNMISS patrol was also impacted by the fighting, with a peacekeeper sustaining injuries during mortar shelling. 'I urge all involved to demonstrate restraint and immediately restore calm. I also strongly condemn any violence against our peacekeepers and reiterate that such actions constitute a violation of international law,' said Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS. 'The situation in both locations underscores the critical importance of the full and rapid deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces, in accordance with the Revitalized Peace Agreement. Vitally, as South Sudan commences the fourth extension of its transitional period on 22 February, parties must adhere to the Agreement and urgently progress its implementation since it remains the only route towards a permanent peace,' added SRSG Haysom. For its part, UNMISS is continuing to engage with communities and authorities in affected areas to reduce tensions. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
