Posts tagged South Sudan

Thabo Mbeki is no hero. Neither is he the worst leader to emerge from the ranks of the African National Congress. A son of the liberation movement to a fault; an idealist who is romantic about Africa, and a vessel of complexity – now, that he is. Mbeki turned 75 on Sunday. As birthday wishes continue pouring in for the statesman, we reflect on his leadership. Will he cringe as he recalls some of his missteps or remain grandiose about his unfinished African Renaissance chapter?

Six aid workers were ambushed and killed in South Sudan last week. The aid workers were travelling from the country’s capital, Juba to Pibor. The victims included three South Sudanese and three Kenyans. The U.N says, close to 80 aid workers have been killed in South Sudan since the beginning of the conflict in December 2013. The continued killing of aid workers severely affects the provision of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people in a country facing famine, and political instability. The attack has continued to draw strong criticism across the world.

Several conflicts have rocked various African countries over the years, leading to the death, injury and displacement of millions. There are current cases of political instability across the continent, with violence and unrest raging on in South Sudan, Burundi, and Somalia amongst other insecure countries. Against the backdrop of the unrest in these countries, we revisit seven civil wars in Africa, which we must never forget.

The east African region is facing a humanitarian crisis. Citizens from various countries face hunger and starvation due to the ongoing drought, and there are concerns that the situation could deteriorate if humanitarian assistance to avert the crisis delays. The United Nations estimates that close to 17 million people are facing hunger in nine countries. The countries include hard-hit by the crisis include Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. Urgent assistance is required to avert this crisis and various humanitarian organisations including World Vision are raising funds to provide desperately and urgent life-saving supplies to the most vulnerable children, including water, food and basic medical supplies.

Is Africa, yet again, backing a ‘power sharing’ deal that in reality completely favours the incumbent?

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has increasingly come under criticism for failing to achieve its core mandate – namely to protect civilians – following the July 2016 crisis in the capital city, Juba.

“Don’t expect us to live beneath our status”. That’s the reaction of South Sudan’s presidency to an explosive corruption report released earlier this week. The report, with meticulous detail, illustrated how president Salva Kiir, former vice president Riek Machar and the country’s military top brass have profiteered from civil war by siphoning off the proceeds of the young nation’s oil wealth. Kiir’s office called the report “a piece of Hollywood theatre” and has threatened to sue the people behind the exposé in the US

Whatever happened to African countries looking out for each other? Some Africans love talking up the existence of a vast Western conspiracy to loot the continent by fueling ethnic conflicts. Turns out African countries are just as good at that game themselves. A new explosive report by watchdog group The Sentry, has revealed how Kenya and Uganda have for years looked the other way as South Sudan’s leaders have stashed billions of stolen wealth in their banks and real state markets, all the while spilling the blood of innocents back home. If President Salva Kiir, former vice president Riek Machar and their generals, all have blood on their hands (which they do), then so do Kenya and Uganda for taking their money

Kenyan fashion house KikoRomeo under its visionary founder and Head Designer Ann McCreath has helped put African fashion on the map for more than twenty years. KikoRomeo, is the biggest name in fashion in Kenya, McCreath’s adopted home, and the brand just had its best showing yet at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Johannesburg. In her first ever interview with This Is Africa, McCreath opens up about her brand’s continental ambitions, the state of the fashion industry in Africa and why leaders on the continent really need to start walking the talk when it comes to promoting “brand Africa”

Uganda has received widespread praise from the international community for its ‘open door’ policy for refugees, but the country is now overwhelmed by the soaring numbers of asylum seekers, especially from war-torn South Sudan, writes Arthur Matsiko.