A two day awareness workshop on the general mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan has opened in Juba. The forum draws together 60 members of the South Sudan Scouts Association to equip them with knowledge on the most basic obligations of UNMISS in the country.  The workshop is part of a series of workshops planned by the Outreach Unit of the UNMISS Communication and Public Information Section to create awareness of the UN Mission’s mandate in the country to the public. In his opening remarks, the Jubek area Minister for Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Sallah Rajab Bunduki commended the mission for the initiative.

The Minister remarked, “If you can involve our scouts and girl guides they will deliver more to our communities and they will be the ones to go down to the communities to start to disseminate and advocate for the mandate of UNMISS in the residential areas and wherever they go.” 

A two day awareness workshop on the general mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan has opened in Juba. The forum draws together 60 members of the South Sudan Scouts Association to equip them with knowledge on the most basic obligations of UNMISS in the country.  The workshop is part of a series of workshops planned by the Outreach Unit of the UNMISS Communication and Public Information Section to create awareness of the UN Mission’s mandate in the country to the public. In his opening remarks, the Jubek area Minister for Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Sallah Rajab Bunduki commended the mission for the initiative.

The Minister remarked, “If you can involve our scouts and girl guides they will deliver more to our communities and they will be the ones to go down to the communities to start to disseminate and advocate for the mandate of UNMISS in the residential areas and wherever they go.” 

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan has asked the UN Security Council to keep South Sudan a priority for the international community.  Ms Ellen Margrethe Løj said the victims of the conflict still carry hope and have high expectations from the international community.  Ms Løj called on the 15-member body to also consider the future of its people in taking any decisions.  She was briefing the Security Council on the situation in South Sudan before she prepares to leave office at the end of this month.  Her brief highlighted that the security situation in the country, particularly in the Greater Equatorias, in parts of Unity, and Western Bahr el Ghazal states, remained volatile, with frequent attacks that resulted in civilian casualties and displacement, as well as disrupted supply of essential goods, including food.

Ms Loej also said the country must not lose hope for peace.

Parties to the peace agreement are being urged to ensure an inclusive peace process to guarantee sustainable peace.  While opening a stakeholders meeting in Juba today, Festus Mogae, chairperson of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission emphasized the importance of full political inclusion and also said the voices and contribution of faith based leaders, women, elders, the private sector, civil society and youth cannot be understated. 

The chief of South Sudan Human Rights Commission Yasmin Sooka has been accompanied by her team to Upper Nile’s Malakal to assess Human Rights situation in the area. The chief of Human Rights met with the government officials, United Nations as well as internally displaced Persons in the PoC and discussed on Human Rights violations in the Region.

Yasmin explained more on her visit to Our Correspondent in Malakal Luka William Athiel.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered food to about nine -thousand internally displaced persons in Lainya County.

George Fominyen, WFP communications officer, told Radio Miraya that the UN agency worked with the logistics team, colleagues from other agencies and the specialized rapid response team to deliver parcels of food assistance to IDPs in Logwiri and Luka West of Lainya County. The food parcels include cereals and pulses. The WFP hopes that the food will be able to last at least thirty days.

Insecurity in Lainya County, of the Central Equatoria region, has forced hundreds of households to abandon their homes and either seek refuge in neighboring countries or hide in the bush.

Fominyen said the WFP is troubled by the many people who are probably still in hiding and cannot be reached with the much needed food assistance. “That is one of our major areas of concern, yes we were able to assist 9 thousand people, but then there are many more people who are currently living in places that are far off, in the bushes and who would need a lot of support.”

According to the WFP, there is need to ease access, so that UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations can deliver relief to more people.  “We are quite concerned about those we are not able to reach and want to reach them,” said Fominyen. “Allow us to reach people where they feel comfortable and safe to receive assistance,” Forminyen made a plea to the parties in charge of granting access.

WFP wants to make regular food aid deliveries as long as access is granted in order for humanitarian agencies to begin to preposition food as the dry season sets in.

“The bigger picture is that we would need even more understanding from everyone involved that WFP and other humanitarian partners and actors are humanitarians who need to assist these people many of who have been without food for months,” Fominyen clarified. “What is essential is what the people need, it is the fact that we want to assist the people,” he added.

“When youth are informed, they can make a positive change,” Soro Wilson Sebit, youth activist, told the Miraya Breakfast show audience.

Soro Wilson Sebit, spoke of the need for a massive awareness campaign about the PA to help resolve the conflict in South Sudan, so the youth can contribute more positively to peace building.

The agreement was signed on 17 August 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and 26 August 2015 in Juba, and ratified by the South Sudan National Legislative Assembly on 10 September 2015.

Slightly over one year on, Soro worries that the youth, forming approx. 75% of the population, have no idea what the PA is actually about, causing deep divisions along political lines.

 “Those of us who are informed, we cannot be moved anyhow, the problem is majority of the youth are not informed,” Soro said.

Soro also commented, “The young people of South Sudan must be informed that there is a positive future for the country contained within the agreement.”

David Lukan began by asking how important it is for the youth to understand the Agreement.