NEWSLINE

Western Bahr el Ghazal State Governor Brigadier General Rizik Zackaria Hassan has urged the Sudanese government to co-operate in the peace talks currently underway in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. 25 June 2012 Western Bahr el Ghazal State Governor Brigadier General Rizik Zackaria Hassan. [Gurtong] WAU, 25 June 2012 [Gurtong] - Hassan told Gurtong the talks organised under the auspices of the African Union mediation should clearly define the implementation of the various resolutions passed. “Lasting peace will be attained once Sudan accepts the January 1956 border zone between the two countries. South Sudan needs this so as to be able to provide services to its citizens, especially those in disputed border areas”, he said. The Governor urged the international community to support the ongoing talks in a bid to normalise the frosty relations between the two states. “Establishment of a borde

Nine Ways to Kiss Stress Good-bye    The last few months have been exceptionally hectic for our family. Between homeschooling, ministry, building a house, short-term mission groups, writing, and life in general, I sometimes find myself feeling that all I do is run from early morning to late at night. It doesn’t really matter what your job is or what you are going through at the moment,   we all understand and experience stress on a daily basis, both good and bad. A couple weeks ago I wrote this post for my International Christian Fiction blog, and thought I'd shared it with you this week. As I grow older, I've noticed that it is essential to find both quiet and balance in all the chaos. Especially when my 'jobs' are never ending. For example, as a writer, between writing, brainstorming, editing, and marketing, and social networking my job is never finished. And that is just one segment of my life! Seth Godin has a great blog post

South Sudan said on Sunday it has struck a security deal with the government of neighbouring Uganda to strengthen security cooperation between the two nations, in an attempt to combat border crime and to promote bilateral economic cooperation. 25 June 2012 A SPLA soldier keeps an eye at the South Sudan-Uganda border. (AP) June 24, 2012 (JUBA)- The agreement was signed on behalf of the two governments by the Inspector Generals of both nation’s police forces last weekend, prior to the donation of two border monitoring vehicles to the Ugandan government, from the South Sudanese. A police convoy led by director for administration at South Sudan Police Service (SSPS), Joseph Lado Lako and accompanied by the director of rescue forces in the ministry of interior, Abraham Albino; and the newly appointed police spokesperson, James Monday; left the capital, Juba, on June 21 for the Ugandan border near Nimule to deliver the vehicles. In an interview with

Displaced Abyei Residents Returning Home Residents of the disputed Abyei area who were displaced into South Sudan during last year’s incursion by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have started returning to their residences. 22 June 2012 - Jerry UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in South Sudan Lise Grande at a past press conference in Juba. [Gurtong Waakhe]   JUBA, 22 June 2012 [Gurtong] - A statement by the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs indicated that a total of 8,936 displaced persons have so far returned home and are said to be coping with the situation on the ground.   The statement added that humanitarian partners are also planning the return of 30,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to Abyei in the next three months, adding that water and food is one of the challenges on the ground though agencies are scaling up efforts to avert a critical situation.   Humanitarian agencies have also started the delivery of

The Eastern Equatoria State government has handed over its donation to support the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA. 21 June 2012 The Greater Kapoeta community donated livestock to support the SPLA in defending South Sudan. [Gurtong/] TORIT, 21 June 2012 [Gurtong] – The event held on Monday at Gumbo in Juba saw the state leadership hand over money, food and non-food items to the National Resource Mobilisation Committee to support the South Sudanese army currently defending the country from external aggression. The team led by the State Governor Louis Lobong Lojore comprised the chairperson of the State High Committee for Resource Mobilisation who is also the State Legislative Assembly Speaker Emmanuel Ambrose Ocholimoi and all County Commissioners. The officials handed over 400,000 South Sudanese Pounds, more than 400 bulls, 2 camels, over 200 goats and assorted food and non-food items including bags of sorghum, maize, flour, rice, bis

Government Rallies Residents to Tackle Food Insecurity Northern Bahr el Ghazal State residents have been urged to engage in agricultural production in a bid to tackle an imminent food crisis. 21 June 2012 Groundnuts  plantation in Akuem village, Aweil East County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State [Gurtong] AWEIL, 21 June 2012 [Gurtong] – The State Governor Paul Malong has advised the state residents to remain in the rural areas and engage in agriculture instead of migrating to urban centres. “Let’s stop loitering around towns during the rainy season. I urge the youth to get back to the rural areas and cultivate their farms instead of spending most of their leisure times in local clubs playing cards”, said Malong when he addressed the official re-opening of the State Legislative Assembly last Friday. He appealed to the state legislators to join the citizenry in efforts to eradicate hunger in the state. “I will soon embark on a campaign to create awareness o

South Sudan’s 6.4 Billion Budget Tabled The South Sudanese Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Kosti Manibe Ngai has presented the 6.4 billion South Sudanese Pounds 2012/13 budget before the national assembly. 20 June 2012 The South Sudanese Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Kosti Manibe Ngai presents the 2012/13 budget before the national assembly. [Gurtong] JUBA, 20 June 2012 [Gurtong] - Dubbed the ‘austerity budget’, the Minister said the budget objectively targets orderly reduction of expenditure while providing basic services and maintaining core functions of the state. He said the budget aims at ensuring that South Sudan becomes a united and peaceful new nation by 2014. “This budget seeks to ensure the building strong foundations for good governance, economic prosperity and enhanced quality of life for all South Sudanese”, said Ngai. He announced strict measures