Of excessive presidential powers and centralization: Why the 2011 Constitution isn’t the will of the people

“In South Sudan, owing to a very poor understanding of international principles about constitutions, the President thinks he is the principal author and beneficiary of the Constitution. Many a time, the President becomes the constitution,” partly reads a manifesto of the National Salvation Front, a South Sudanese armed Opposition movement, calling for “crafting and adopting, through a wide consultative process, a modern, democratic, truly federal constitution with institutional checks and balances.”

 By Roger Alfred Yoron Modi, Juba, South Sudan

President Kiir and VP Dr. James Wani Igga, on independent day

August 18, 2017 (SSB) — President Salva Kiir’s recent firing of 14 Judges including justices from South Sudan court of appeal and the high court received intense condemnation from the civil society and members of the legal fraternity who, rightly, see the move as an interference with the independence of the judiciary and administration of justice in world’s youngest nation.

The sacked judges have been on an open-ended strike since early May. Their demands include higher wages and better working conditions, and the resignation of chief justice Chan Reech Madut who they accused of having compromised the independence of the Judiciary.

Some of the Judges who have not been dismissed have vowed to continue with the strike, demanding that president Kiir meets all their demands, including the reinstatement of the 14 sacked Judges or else he should dismiss all of them who are on strike.

“We the general assembly of Justices and Judges across South Sudan, in our urgent meeting held at the Judiciary headquarters in Juba and in all the states, on this 14th day of July, 2017, have resolved to continue with our open strike in solidarity with our honourable dismissed justices and judges until our demands are met,” partly reads a statement by the Judges.

Tale of cursed man

By Riak Marial Riak, Juba, South Sudan

–

“And this was said long time ago

That a man who kills a woman is coward.

This I will never say but look at you

With these sighing eyes

And opened my mouth to lament

And opened my eyes to leave great tear

Tears and Blood in the Land of Cush

By Reech Mayen, Kampala, Uganda

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Oh Cush!

Land of peace

Bullets tear through the rips mercilessly

Tears and blood gush endlessly

Mothers wail for their dying infants

Maternity deaths reign

Press Release: The Establishment of the Nuer Union for Development (NUD), USA

Press Statement: Declaration for the Formation of the Nuer Union for Development (NUD), Nebraska, The United State of America, August 15, 2017

Dinka and Nuer under one nation, one people

August 18, 2017 (SSB) — We are so grateful to publicly announce to you the birth of Nuer Union for Development (NUD) based in the United States of America and specifically based in the state of Nebraska. We are cognizant that we have Nuer Community Development Services (NCDS), which was supposed to serve the same function as Nuer Union for Development (NUD).

As a result, the members of Nuer Union Development appreciated the services, provided by the NCDS for quite sometimes. However, NUD realizes that the services provided by NCDS were not sufficient enough for the following main reasons:

• Discrimination from within NCDS’s membership on the basis of members’ socio-political For instance, Nuer members, who happen to have another political affiliation are not afforded the same birthrights as those, who are sole supporters of IO Movement of Dr. Riek Machar;
• As a result, non-IO Riek’s supporters are not allowed to attend NCDS’s meetings, and if they do, they will be identified in the meeting hall and forcefully removed from the meeting public room;
• If forgiven to attend, the non-supporters of Machar could not be allowed to voice their opinions on the issues that are a matter to all Nuer family members even though their contributions in the form of monies are collected;
• Non-supporters of Dr. Riek Machar from NCDS are being bullied, intimidated, and threatened to be hurt if they do not abandon their political choices and pledge their support to Dr. Riek Machar’s Movement by force.