Top Opposition General Joins Government Forces in South Sudan

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‎A senior opposition army officer has left his group and joined the government army in South Sudan. Brigadier General Adnan Alex Boboya, who was part of the SPLA-IO (the main opposition army), said he has decided to support peace and work with the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), which is the national army. ‎ ‎Speaking in Yei River County, Gen. Boboya said, “I am doing this for the good of my people and my country. It is time for peace. We, as soldiers, should protect our communities, not fight them.” ‎ ‎Government army leaders welcomed him and encouraged other opposition fighters to stop fighting and talk about peace. ‎ ‎This comes just days after over 600 SPLA-IO soldiers also joined the government side. ‎ ‎But some people are worried that these changes could cause more problems for the peace agreement signed in 2018 between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar.  ‎ ‎There are also reports that Riek Machar is being kept at home and not allowed to move...

South Sudanese are the leading Miraa (KHAT) Chewers in Kakuma Refugee Camp.



Kakuma Refugee Miraa chewers initially are people from the Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya origins but recently South Sudanese Miraa chewers have overtaken both Somalia and Ethiopia to become the number one Miraa Chewers in the camp.

According to one of our correspondent who has been in the camp for more than (15) fifteen years he said that “The number started increasing from the year 2010 and now in the year 2019 the number is too high.” By 2 PM that is exactly the time, Miraa (KHAT) is brought to the camp via Lodwar.

South Sudanese Children will be seen around 1PM loitering Somalia or Ethiopian Market waiting for Miraa. This has in fact affected their afternoon classes instead of going for the afternoon classes they will be seen waiting for Miraa anxiously.

Miraa also known as Khat is a stimulant drug, which can cause loss of appetite and euphoria. Miraa contains Alkaloid and Cathinone. According to the study, it is still unclear if the consumption of Miraa can directly affect the mental health of a user.

The chewing of Miraa among the South Sudanese has led to a lot of theft cases in the community since the chewers had to steal in order to buy the Miraa. Miraa is expensive, one surba is around 350ksh.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers that Miraa addiction to be not seriously problematic. In other countries, it is not allowed like Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In Yemen, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya are the major consumers of Miraa. 

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