SPLA-IO Accused of Detaining Civilian Boats, Demanding $4,000 Along Sobat River ‎

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‎ Boat ferrying civilians  Nasir, Upper Nile State  ‎Authorities in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, have accused forces loyal to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army In Opposition (SPLA-IO) of detaining civilian riverboats and demanding ransom-like payments of up to $4,000 from traders and passengers along the Sobat River. ‎ ‎According to Nasir County Commissioner James Gatwech Joak, several boats traveling from Matar in Nasir County to Malakal were intercepted by SPLA-IO soldiers in Yakuach, an area in Nyirol County, Jonglei State. ‎ ‎“Our traders paid local taxes to SPLA-IO in Mandeng before setting off. But on reaching Yakuach, they were detained again and told to pay an additional four thousand U.S. dollars,” Commissioner Gatwech said. ‎ ‎He explained that the detained boat operators and traders were reportedly held for four days while armed men demanded more payments.  ‎ Some of the passengers were women, children, and patients traveling for medical treatment in Malaka...
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Online Hate Speech Threatens South Sudan’s Fragile Peace as Political Tensions Soar ‎

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President Kiir and Dr.Riek


‎A new report by Digital Rights Frontlines, an organization monitoring online hate speech in South Sudan, has raised alarm over the rising tide of ethnic-based incitement spreading panic and division across the country. 

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‎The surge in inflammatory rhetoric comes at a time of acute political uncertainty, with fears that South Sudan could slide back into war.

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‎The warning follows the dramatic arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar on Wednesday, further straining the already fragile 2018 peace deal with President Salva Kiir. 

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‎The agreement, which ended five years of brutal civil war that claimed 400,000 lives, is now hanging by a thread.

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‎Observers fear that online hate speech—mainly targeting the Dinka and Nuer communities could reignite the ethnic tensions that fueled the last war. 

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‎“The internet is now a battlefield where words are being weaponized to deepen divisions,” Digital Rights Frontlines stated in its report.

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‎As South Sudan braces for a critical election period, many are calling for urgent action to curb misinformation and promote national unity. 

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‎Will South Sudan learn from its past, or is it heading toward another cycle of bloodshed?

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SPLA-IO Accused of Detaining Civilian Boats, Demanding $4,000 Along Sobat River ‎

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Image
‎ Boat ferrying civilians  Nasir, Upper Nile State  ‎Authorities in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, have accused forces loyal to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army In Opposition (SPLA-IO) of detaining civilian riverboats and demanding ransom-like payments of up to $4,000 from traders and passengers along the Sobat River. ‎ ‎According to Nasir County Commissioner James Gatwech Joak, several boats traveling from Matar in Nasir County to Malakal were intercepted by SPLA-IO soldiers in Yakuach, an area in Nyirol County, Jonglei State. ‎ ‎“Our traders paid local taxes to SPLA-IO in Mandeng before setting off. But on reaching Yakuach, they were detained again and told to pay an additional four thousand U.S. dollars,” Commissioner Gatwech said. ‎ ‎He explained that the detained boat operators and traders were reportedly held for four days while armed men demanded more payments.  ‎ Some of the passengers were women, children, and patients traveling for medical treatment in Malaka...
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SSPDF Airstrikes Hit SPLA-IO Positions in Jur River County (WBGS)

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