Deadly Ethnic Strife Convulses Ethiopia-South Sudan Border Jacey Fortin, The New York Times 25 April 2016 Image credit: BBC.com GAMBELA, Ethiopia — After angry mobs began targeting his community, Simon Thion, 29, felt caught in the middle. Mr. Simon, an Ethiopian who is part of the Nuer ethnic group, went to a hospital in the western town of Gambela recently to visit his nephew, who was injured when members of the Murle ethnic group crossed into

Riek Machar, South Sudan Opposition Leader, Returns as Part of Peace Deal Jacey Fortin, The New York Times 26 April 2016 Image: Riek Machar, South Sudan’s opposition leader, in a rebel-controlled territory in Jonglei State in 2014.CreditGoran Tomasevic/Reuters JUBA, South Sudan — More than two years after South Sudan’s civil war began, its opposition leader landed in the capital, Juba, on Tuesday and was sworn in as vice president, a vital

Image: A Gathering of Bloggers – The Why About This, One United World. retrieved from www.thewhyaboutthis.com Burma/Myanmar: The first bill proposed by the incoming government of Myanmar’s new Parliament, led by the National League for Democracy, created a new position in the government for Aung San Suu Kyi, that of state counsellor. This position, one that has been compared to that of a Prime Minister, would skirt the constitutional ban

African Union Says Crisis in South Sudan Is Worsening Jeffrey Gettleman, The New York Times 01 February 2016   NAIROBI, Kenya — A new report written for the African Union and made public on Monday presented an especially grim picture of South Sudan’s civil war, blaming government forces and rebels for the declining humanitarian situation in the world’s newest country. The nine-page report, written by an evaluation commission for the African

Sudan Pushed Two SPLA Dissidents to Instigate Fighting in Abyei: Hillary Clinton Email Sudan Tribune 8 January 2016 (WASHINGTON) – The Sudanese government devised a plan in 2011 in coordination with two renegade generals in the disputed region of Abyei in order to secure control of oil reserves there, according to emails addressed to then U.S. Secretary State Hillary Clinton.   Peter Gadet (L) & George Athor (R) This week, the U.S.

 Rape and Cannibalism cited among South Sudan's Horrors Jeffery Gettleman, New York Times 28 October 2015 Displaced people Oct. 15 at Kok Island, South Sudan. The African Union says the government and rebels have targeted civilians. Credit- Jason Patinkin/Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya — Gang rape, the massacre of civilians and even instances of forcing captives to jump into fires and eat human flesh are among a long list of atrocities committed

Leaders sign deal to end South Sudan’s civil war, but challenges loom Kevin Sieff, Washington Post 26 August 2015 Image: Rebel leader Riek Machar, center, shakes hands with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir after lengthy peace negotiations in Addis Ababa, Ethi­o­pia, on Aug. 17. (Mulugeta Ayene/AP)   NAIROBI — South Sudan’s president signed a peace deal Wednesday intended to end a 20-month-old civil war that has left thousands dead

South Sudan’s President Signs Peace Deal With Rebels Marc Santora, New York Times 26 August 2015   Image: President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya arrived in Juba, the South Sudanese capital, on Wednesday to attend the signing of the peace deal. Credit Jok Solomun/Reuters   NAIROBI, Kenya — President Salva Kiir of South Sudan, facing the threat of “immediate action” by the United Nations if he did not endorse a proposed peace deal, signed

South Sudan: Obstacles to a lasting peace James Copnall, BBC News 15 August 2015 Image: Peace proposals call for South Sudanese troops, seen here marching in Juba, to withdraw from the capital A year-and-a-half of peace processes have not stopped South Sudan's collapse. Soldiers slaughter young boys, women are raped and millions have fled as ceasefires are ignored and the fighting continues. An expanded mediation team from the regional body Igad

Leader of South Sudan Refuses to Sign Peace Deal Somini Sengupta, New York Times 17 August 2015 Image: The Telegraph 2013, EPA United Nations — Bucking the threat of international sanctions, the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, refused to sign a peace deal to halt the nation’s civil war on Monday, the deadline for a final accord mediated by African leaders. “If it is signed today and then tomorrow we go back to war, then what have we achieved?”