Good evening. It is five o’clock and I’m Susan Dokolo.
The Headlines:
- Parliament passes NGO Bill
- UNMISS condemns fighting at PoC site in Juba
- Nurses vow to improve relations with patients
Parliament has passed the National NGO Bill 2015.
The 20-page document was unanimously endorsed this morning in its 4th reading.
Lwak Nelson was in Parliament during the session and now reports
Lwak Nelson: “The bill, which becomes law upon the President’s ascent, provides for the establishment of a regulatory framework for the registration, co-ordination and monitoring of operations of non-governmental organizations operating in the country. The bill, allows for the appointment of a registrar of NGOs who will be responsible for registering and monitoring all NGOs. All NGOs are also required to hire at least 80% national staff at all levels and up to 55% of staff in areas that require technical knowledge. NGO’s are also required to re-register every year and submit annual reports of activities and a list of assets. Organizations that fail to deliver activities for 1 year or more could face investigation. Speaker of the house, Mark Nypouch announced the passing of the Bill. The United Nations Mission, UN Agencies the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent are exempt from this bill. I am Lwak Nelson for Radio Miraya news.”
The UN Mission in South Sudan has condemned recent fighting that erupted among internally displaced persons (IDPs) at its protection-of-civilians sites in Juba.
One person was killed and about 60 more were injured during the violence on Sunday.
A spokesperson of the UN mission in South Sudan, Joe Contreras says the clashes triggered the departure of an estimated 3,500 IDPs from the protection sites.
Joe Contreras: “We estimate that during the course of Sunday over 3000 IDPs left the protection site and at least 2500 seem to have gone into Juba escorted by vehicles including Military vehicles, another 1 thousand were remaining outside the main gate entrance to what we call PoC site 3. We have asked South Sudanese authorities to notify us where they have been taken and to also grant us access to their location.”
The UN mission has released a statement saying the fighting in the PoC site 1 was sparked off by a domestic dispute between the IDPs armed with machetes, sticks and metal bars, from Mayom and Mayendit counties.
Unity state information Minister, Peter Makuoth, has asked the IDPs being sheltered by the UN to settle their differences in an amicable manner
Peter Makuoth: “My concern is that people should not try to interpret what happened inside politically. You ran there for your life and then you cannot go there and cause another war inside, because what is the use for you to go there then. Actually we are really concerned and we hope that people also should develop what we call peace in their mind.”
The Warrap State Legislative Assembly is calling for the immediate release of two MPs who were arrested last Friday by state national security.
Ariech Mayar Ariech and Amet Kuol are accused of mobilizing civilians and students to strike against the state government.
Speaker of the house, Madot Dut Deng says the MPs resolved that their detention is unlawful.
Dut Deng: "Yes it is true the MPs were arrested the evening of Friday which was the weekend so the Assembly couldn't do anything on Saturday and Sunday but on Monday the Assembly met and the resolved to condemned their brutally arrest of the two MPs and number two the requested the immediate released of the two MPs because their arrest is not a procedures."
In a related development, the Warrap State Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for the dismissal of the commissioner of Twic County.
Biar Biar Ring is accused of financial malpractice, harassment of chiefs and unauthorized collection of class bulls from Twic communities.
Biar Ring appeared before the MPs on Monday and denied the accusations.
Speaker Madot Dut Deng says the MPs were not satisfied with the commissioner's response to the allegations.
Dut Deng: "The assembly resolved that the commissioner did not reply the questions all the questions he did not reply them and therefore the Assembly resolved that the commissioner be sifted out from his position as a commissioner of Twic County this is going to be communicated to the governor who appoints the commissioners."
Nurses across the country have made a solemn vow to improve relations with their patients.
Nurses in South Sudan joined their counterparts across the world to mark the International day of Nurses and Midwives, a day set aside on the 12th of May to recognize the contributions nurses make to society.
To commemorate the day, nurses took time off to provide specialized care to IDPs in Nimule, Eastern Equatoria State.
Catherine Abadia is the matron at Nimule civil Hospital. She says this year they aim to build the trust of their patients and communities.
Catherine Abadia: "The message I have for my colleague for this year is that we as nurses we would like to improve our relationships with the patient and we would also like to build that more trust between us and the community. Actually it is high time we want to show the community, we are professional people we need to work whole heartedly as Nurses we are called, we are chosen to save life which is a very important tool for us, and as nurses we have come to this profession it is not Just because we need money, we have come to safe life."
You are listening to Radio Miraya news.
The commissioner of Mvolo County in Western Equatoria has described the condition of roads in his county as an acute problem.
James Abdullah Arona says this is affecting development and is also leading to high commodity prices, as traders are unable to bring in items for sale.
Arona appeals to the national government to repair the connecting road network to other counties, especially with the start of the rainy season.
James Abdullah Arona: "We are feeling that without the support from the government of South Sudan to improve the condition of the road especially which connect from Gulu to county headquarter I am sure it will also result to what happened in last year."
The priorities of the Greater Pibor Administrative area remain infrastructure and the construction of schools.
One year since the formation of the administrative area, the citizens say they need roads, bridges and educational structures.
Commissioner Nakore Kelega says more services are needed for the many people who are returning to the area.
Nakore Kelega: “The priorities are opening the roads like the one by CES initiative, they open a road from Jagor to Desert to Pibor wrongly was put on hold. We want to build schools for students and construct bridges so Citizens live in peace. On the celebration citizens asked the President to upgrade Pibor Administrative Area to a state level. And earlier, the President donated a hospital through National Minister of Health, people are asking for the construction of Nagekak Teaching Hospital.”
The Greater Pibor Administrative Area was pronounced in May 2014, following an agreement between the Cobra faction of David Yau Yau and the National government.
And in regional news, at least nine people have died after a wall surrounding a mosque collapsed, amid heavy rains in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Media reports say many people are feared to be trapped beneath the rubble after the wall fell on shanty homes in the Mukuru slum area of the city.
Rescue workers have been looking for survivors.
Several major roads were submerged overnight after heavy downpours
To end the news, here are the headlines once again:
- Parliament passes NGO Bill
- UNMISS condemns fighting at PoC site in Juba
- Nurses vow to improve relations with patients
And that’s Radio Miraya news. I am Susan Dokolo.
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