South Sudan’s consultative dialogue opens as parties seek consensus
South Sudan’s home-based stakeholders and political parties have officially opened the long-awaited Consultative Dialogue in Juba, with the ruling SPLM-IG and its allied political groups leading the first phase of discussions. Speaking during Monday’s opening session, SPLM Second Deputy Chairperson Mary Apayi Ayiga described the dialogue as a critical undertaking as the country prepares for […]
Activist Yakani confirms delegate lists, sets dates for crucial peace dialogue meetings
Activist Edmond Yakani has confirmed that all major signatories to the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement have submitted their delegate lists ahead of two crucial phases of the national dialogue, set to begin tomorrow (Monday). In a recorded audio shared to Standard Zone News (SZN), Yakani said the stakeholders who signed the 2018 agreement have reaffirmed […]
How Dr. Machar and co-accused’s defense cornered lead investigator
The courtroom inside Freedom Hall fell into tense silence as the defense team for First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar began cross-examining the state’s lead investigator, Maj. Gen. Basilio Thomas Wani. What followed in the sixteenth session of the Nasir Incident trial unfolded as a day of tense exchanges and probing questions that put the […]
Tense courtroom drama as Dr. Machar trial adjourned to Oct 31
The 15th session of the high-profile trial of First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and seven co-accused SPLM/A-IO members ended Monday amid intense courtroom exchanges, with proceedings adjourned to Friday, October 31. The session saw a fiery cross-examination of lead investigator Basilo Wani by Head Defense Advocate Kur Lual, exposing inconsistencies and procedural gaps that […]
Court blocks Machar defense from reviewing case files
The special court trying First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and seven other SPLM-IO members for treason, murder, and other serious crimes has denied the defense’s request for access to case files and copies of evidence. Presiding Judge Dr. James Alala Deng told the courtroom on Friday that while the defense will have the opportunity […]
SPLM-IO deputy governor drops political hammer on defectors
The political drama in Western Equatoria has flared again after SPLM-IO Deputy Governor Justin Joseph Marona swung his axe on four senior officials accused of defecting to the ruling SPLM-IG. In Order No. 01/2025, issued this week, Marona announced the dismissal of: Rubben Amaai, Commissioner of Mvolo County, Lino Fataki, Commissioner of Nzara County, John […]
Peace advocates threaten legal action against SSPDF, SPLM-IO over ongoing clashes
South Sudan’s peace advocates have condemned renewed fighting between government and opposition forces in Unity State, warning they may take legal action against the warring parties for breaching the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) Executive Director Edmond Yakani said on Tuesday that the recent clashes in Ropkona County, which left […]
Investigator ties Dr. Machar to Nasir garrison deaths through neglect
On Monday, Maj. Gen. Basilio Thomas Wani, the lead investigator in the Nasir garrison attack case, accused Dr. Riek Machar, the suspended First Vice President, of failing to prevent a deadly assault that left more than 250 South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) soldiers dead. Wani told the special court that Machar, as Commander-in-Chief of […]
Investigator tells court: Suspended minister sent $30,000 to white army
A lead investigator on Friday delivered explosive testimony linking South Sudan’s suspended Petroleum Minister, Puot Kang Chuol, to a militia attack that left hundreds of soldiers dead in Nasir earlier this year. In a tense session of the special high court, Maj. Gen. Basilio Thomas Wani, the Police Commissioner of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, […]
Media returns as Machar, seven co-accused trial resumes Wednesday
The trial of South Sudan’s suspended First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, and seven co-accused is set to resume on Wednesday, following a two-week blackout during which journalists were barred from covering the proceedings. The development comes as the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) confirmed that media coverage of the case has […]
