(YEI) – Good morning. It is 8 o’clock and you are listening to Access Radio 88.8 FM. Here are the headlines.
The Caretaker Commissioner of Morobo County has demanded the resumption of two stalled UNMISS funded projects.
A traveller has called for urgent improvements to the Yei-Juba road after surviving a road incident near Gangi Payam.
Internally displaced persons in Morobo County are appealing for urgent humanitarian support.
Now the news in detail.
Morobo Commissioner Demands Resumption of Stalled UNMISS Projects
The Caretaker Commissioner of Morobo County, Hon. Moro Isaac Johnson, has called for the immediate resumption of two stalled projects funded by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
The projects are a county pavilion and a prison cell.
The Commissioner inspected the sites on Tuesday after residents raised growing concern over the delayed completion of both facilities despite being funded.
UNMISS entrusted two implementing partners with the work.
MASS was contracted to build the detention centre, while SPEDP was assigned the county pavilion.
MASS, or Mission to Alleviate Suffering in South Sudan, is a national non-governmental organisation operating across Central Equatoria State.
It has worked in Morobo and Yei River counties on food security and livelihood projects, including seed distribution to farmers in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization.
The group has also collaborated with UNMISS on protection activities.
SPEDP, or Support for Peace and Education Development Programme, was founded in 2007.
It operates in eight of South Sudan’s ten states, focusing on education, food security, livelihoods and peacebuilding.
The organisation is registered with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission and has built partnerships with 28 organisations since 2015.
According to the Commissioner’s office, the two partners received 80% of the project funds.
However, the work remains unfinished.
Bad Yei-Juba Road Ordeal Leaves Travellers Injured
A traveller has called for urgent improvements to the Yei-Juba road after surviving a frightening road incident near Gangi Payam of Juba County.
Abraham Lokujong Lo Yanga posted the incident on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
He said he and other passengers sustained injuries during the journey on Tuesday, describing the experience as a terrible ordeal.
According to Lokujong, the incident occurred around Gangi while they were travelling from Yei to Juba.
He said poor network coverage in the area delayed him from informing relatives and friends about what had happened.
Despite the injuries, Lokujong expressed gratitude that all those involved survived the incident.
The traveller also appealed to leaders to prioritise the rehabilitation of key roads used by citizens and commercial transporters.
He said poor road conditions continue to pose risks to travellers.
Road users along the Yei-Juba highway have repeatedly raised concerns over the condition of sections of the road, especially during periods of heavy use.
Morobo IDPs Appeal for Urgent Humanitarian Support
The Relief and Rehabilitation Commission in Morobo County says hundreds of internally displaced persons in Lujulo Payam are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
The displaced people fled violence in Aboroto Village on Monday.
The displaced people, mostly women and children, were forced to leave their homes following an alleged attack by armed groups.
The groups reportedly burned houses and looted personal belongings.
Local residents and officials say one person was shot during the incident on Monday.
Arike Timoty, the County Relief and Rehabilitation Commission Director, said the displaced families are currently sheltering in public spaces in Lujule town without access to basic necessities.
Meanwhile, Moro Isaac Johnson, the Caretaker Commissioner of Morobo County, visited the displaced families in Aboroto Village and condemned the attack.
The commissioner called on armed groups to embrace peaceful dialogue and end the suffering of civilians.
He is urging those involved in the violence to reconsider their actions and allow the community to recover from trauma that has lingered since the 2016 crisis.
In response to the escalating insecurity, the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) have increased their presence in the area.
The aim is to help restore calm and reassure affected communities.
You are listening to Access Radio News.
Women Traders Applaud Juba Market Cleanup
The Luri Payam Chamber of Commerce has paid a courtesy visit to the Caretaker Commissioner of Juba County, Hon. Molana Kalisto Lado Faustino Nyigilo, at the County Headquarters in Juba.
The visit was to commend the Commissioner for his recent initiative to clean and reorganise Kuburi Haboba Market, according to the Office of the Commissioner.
The chamber said the initiative has improved the market’s organisation, cleanliness and accessibility for traders and customers within one week of its launch.
During the visit, a representative of the women traders at Kuburi Haboba Market expressed appreciation to Hon. Kalisto Lado for prioritising the market as the first to undergo reorganisation following his appointment.
The representative said the initiative has improved access for vehicles transporting goods into the market.
This has made it easier for traders to conduct business and receive supplies.
In his remarks, Hon. Molana Kalisto Lado Faustino Nyigilo reaffirmed his commitment to serving all communities across Juba County and improving service delivery at the grassroots level.
Elsewhere
UNMISS Hands Over Youth Empowerment Hub in Yambio
Western Equatoria State Caretaker Governor Badagbu Daniel Rimbasa and Anita Kiki Gbeho, head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), on Wednesday handed over a newly built youth empowerment hub in Yambio.
The facility was constructed under the UNMISS Quick Impact Project (QIP) and implemented by LIFT South Sudan.
It aims to promote youth leadership, skills development and peacebuilding.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Rimbasa said the hub would give young people a space to exchange ideas, develop leadership skills and discuss challenges affecting their communities.
He urged young people to use the facility to promote peace, discourage harmful activities and contribute to community development.
Gbeho called on young people to take ownership of the centre and use it to develop solutions to problems facing their communities.
She said the hub should enable young people to collaborate, exchange ideas and develop initiatives aimed at bringing positive change to their communities.
Joseph Ndani, executive director of LIFT South Sudan, commended UNMISS for supporting the project and the state government for creating an enabling environment for youth-focused initiatives.
He called for additional support to establish more youth centres and recreational facilities across Western Equatoria State.
The hub is expected to provide a venue for youth groups to hold discussions, share knowledge, strengthen leadership skills and develop peacebuilding initiatives.
Its long-term impact will depend on sustained use, maintenance and engagement by young people and their partners.
In Regional News
Kenya Confirms Second Ebola Case
Kenya has confirmed a second case of Ebola, 10 days after a businessman died of the virus after he had travelled to the East African nation from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The new patient, a 39-year-old man, is a close relative of the first case.
He was already in quarantine when he fell ill on Tuesday, Kenya’s health ministry says.
The incubation period for Ebola ranges from two to 21 days, meaning those exposed to the virus may not become ill for several weeks.
Detecting his illness early had improved his chances of recovery and limited the chance of him passing the virus on to others, the ministry said.
It urged the public to stay calm but vigilant.
“Both cases are linked, and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community,” the ministry said.
“Kenya remains open, with no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings,” it added.
Questions remain over how the first patient travelled across three nations undetected.
The 40-year-old Kenyan man who died on 5th October was diagnosed with Ebola shortly after being admitted to hospital in the capital, Nairobi.
A relative had taken him there shortly after picking him up at the airport.
He had travelled from DR Congo, through Uganda to Kenya without his illness being detected.
Since his death, officials had determined that he had been in contact with 128 people.
Since Tuesday, 113 of them had been found, the health ministry said.
Of these, 108 were in quarantine in Kenya and tracing of the remaining 15 continued, it said.
More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola in DR Congo this year, in what is the second most deadly known outbreak to date.
The Ebola virus spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.
The current outbreak in DR Congo, which began in May, has been caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which is relatively rare.
There is no approved vaccine or treatment, though trials are under way.
Shortly after DR Congo declared an outbreak of Ebola in May, it was also reported in Uganda, where two people died.
To end the news, here is a recap of the main stories once again.
The Caretaker Commissioner of Morobo County has demanded the resumption of two stalled UNMISS funded projects.
A traveller has called for urgent improvements to the Yei-Juba road after surviving a road incident near Gangi Payam.
Internally displaced persons in Morobo County are appealing for urgent humanitarian support.
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