Holding a golden trophy high in the air in an act of celebration, Jacob Mach Kuany from Kapoeta Day Secondary School proudly represented his part of the country as the regional winner of the nationwide essay competition for Eastern Equatoria.

Mayen-Jur County, near Kuajok in the north-eastern part of the country, could potentially serve as a good example for conflict-ridden areas, where fighting is often fuelled by ethnic rivalries, elsewhere in the young nation.

The surge of violence in South Sudan’s Unity region “looks set to continue despite the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement that was signed last year,” according to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the United Nations mission in the country (UNMISS), David Shearer.