This Week in South Sudan – Week 26

Wednesday 28 June

• The Government of South Sudan (GoSS) denies closure of embassies abroad, saying it has routinely recalled the heads of diplomatic missions in seven countries as the period of their assignments have ended.

Thursday 29 June

• GoSS said it could deny humanitarian aid workers access to rebel-held areas due to security concerns. The comment follows UN complaints against blockage of aid deliveries to certain areas in the southern Equatoria region.

Friday 30 June

• The SPLA claim they have contained an internal rift among soldiers deployed on the front line in the northern parts of South Sudan.
• The SPLA (IO) claim government forces have started recruiting civilians and students living in refugee settlement camps in northern Uganda.

Saturday 1 July

• GoSS plans to immediately deploy more forces along the Juba-Bor road as a security measure against road ambush killings. The decision was made during an emergency security meeting following an attack where unknown gunmen killed nine people and wounded dozens.
• The Joint Political and Security Committee (JPSC) meeting between Sudan and South Sudan, scheduled to be held in Juba shortly after Eid Al Fitr, was postponed over ‘logistical reasons’.

Sunday 2 July

• Aid workers warn against the potential devastation of a cholera outbreak in South Sudan as the number of registered cases has increased over the previous months.
• Men in South Sudanese military uniforms have launched two raids over the Ugandan border in recent weeks, raising fears of the conflict’s spill over effects.
• Riek Machar declined meeting members of the national dialogue committee in South Africa, citing the need to stop the country’s on-going war as a priority.
• The Guardian: “South Sudan’s million-strong refugee crisis is a test for the World Bank”