NEWS BULLETIN SCRIPT Wednesday,
February 10,
2016
Good afternoon, it’s 1 o’clock. I’m David Lukan.
The Headlines
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Parliament ratifies the peace agreement
MP flags imminent lack of drugs in the country
Farmers in Tombura County celebrate a plentiful harvest
The National Legislative Assembly has ratified the peace agreement.
The deal was tabled before Parliament this morning and adopted by a majority of the MPs.
Last month, President Salva Kiir and the leader of the SPLM in opposition signed the peace deal.
The deal gives President Kiir to serve as president in a 30-month transitional period, and the leader of opposition
Riek Machar as the first vice-president.
On Tuesday, the National Legislative Assembly approved 35 million pounds to facilitate an awareness campaign for
the peace agreement.
South Sudan’s application to join the East African community bloc is still under review.
Aggrey Sabuni Tissa, the presidential advisor on the economy, briefed the national Legislative Assembly on
Wednesday about the steps made so far.
Tissa: “The result of the verification was that on the whole there is a government, there is a system and the country
… could be considered for negotiations. There were certain things that they needed to be put in place, particularly
certain institutions that are essentials, certain legal framework that are essential, certain things that would
symbolize complete sovereignty and total control of the territory. Despite those, on balance the conclusion was
that South Sudan application deserves to be considered.”
Still in the National Parliament, where an MP asked the house to speed up the process of approving the budget
meant for purchasing drugs.
MP Benjamin Alier Alier, representing Jonglei state, warned that failure to approve the money could be disastrous to
the public health system.
He says some health facilities have run out of drug stocks and patients are being referred to private clinics.
Alier: “If we postponed this thing to the supplementary budget, which may be six months and another three months
will go to release this money, (it) will be nine months, almost a year. Have we agreed now that our hospitals are to
remain without drugs, have agreed now our patients in the hospitals will stay without food. Because if you go to the
hospital you say the Ministry of Health is not working, patients are not given their drugs. You are given prescriptions
to go and buy from the private pharmacy. This is because we are not approving money for drugs for our people.”
In a related development, the Minister of Finance, David Deng Athorbei, says he is alarmed by the conditions at
The Juba Military Hospital.
He told Parliament that he was shocked to find wounded soldiers lying on a bare floor in the hospital’s ward.
Deng: “It is just terrible. You can’t imagine some of our people where they are lying there. We have to do something
about it. I have been discussing with Ajack Bullen, who is in charge of the hospital, and other people and we are
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NEWS BULLETIN SCRIPT Wednesday,
February 10,
2016
going to raise this issue to the defense minister. Once we have good suggestions such that we can find funds so that
our heroes, when they come from the airport, they should expect to lie at least on a mat, not on the floor.”
A security investigations officer is being dispatched to Eastern Equatoria state to investigate claims of subversive
activities involving an area MP.
Sabina Dario Lokolong, is accused by the state authorities of involvement in mobilizing rebellion in Eastern Equatoria
State.
On Tuesday, Tulio Odongi, the chief Whip, informed parliament that Eastern Equatoria State authorities have
accused the MP and noted that the claim contravenes the vision of the country to advocate for peace in South
Sudan.
Eastern Equatoria State information minister, Akio Mark Ukinbul, denied the state ever made such an allegation.
Ukinbul: “We have never accused honorable Sabina Dario Lokolong. What we know, we only responded to the
comment of Hon. Sabina over Radio Voice of America on 3rd of this month, in which she contradicted the press
statement of His Excellency, the governor of EES, concerning the rebel movement extending into EES, mobilizing an
assignation mission on individuals in the State.
Manasseh Magok Rundial, the speaker of the national legislative assembly, confirmed that the matter has been
drawn to his attention and action is being taken.
Rundial: “It has reached my office and then we are making some procedures and even dispatching somebody to go
EES to go and find out the pros and cons of such a problem. How did it happen so that person will come and report
to us and therefore we shall take measures which we think is appropriate.”
You are listening to Radio Miraya News
A nutrition response plan to support the treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition in the country has been
launched in Aweil Northern Bahl Ghazal state.
The joint plan UNICEF and the World Food Programme was launched on Wednesday targeting more than two
million people including children, pregnant women and new mothers.
NBeG State Minister of Health, Tong Deng Anei, said that more than 200,000 women and children in Aweil would
benefit from the program.
Anei: “Today, actually, we have a very important launching of the nutrition scale plan. That we have been working on
it, the Ministry of Health, UNICEF and WFP, we have been working on this programme, and this is a very successful
programme. We launched this programme today for Northern Bahr el Ghazal state on behalf of the whole of South
Sudan, of which are the areas that are highly affected by malnutrition. So in Northern Bahr el Ghazal this programme
is supporting over 200,000 women and children. You have seen one of the sites that we have visited in Maduany.
This is one of the locations that have children, and there are so many other places.”
US ambassador to South Sudan Molly Phee said while the plan is impressive, it is increasingly becoming sad to see
the effects the conflict has left on the people of South Sudan.
Phee: “I am impressed by the impact of this nutrition plan, which is over the two years life it has had. It should reach
more than 1.5 million mothers and children through the country. But I must speak frankly and say I am also
depressed. I am depressed to see firsthand damage to the people and the society of South Sudan caused by decades
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NEWS BULLETIN SCRIPT Wednesday,
February 10,
2016
of conflict and bad government from the north. I am depressed by the pain and harm inflicted on the innocent
mothers and children, who are suffering from malnutrition.”
Farmers in Tombura County of Western Equatoria state are celebrating a bumper harvest, despite the rise of
prices of food in the market.
The price of onion and cooking oil has shot up and restaurants owners say they are finding it hard to keep the price
of food and beverages stable.
Outside Tombura town, our reporter says the harvest season is on and Tombura has become a major supplier of
cassava flour to other states.
Traders from as far as Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal state are descending on Tombura to take advantage of the
abundant food supplies.
Felix Francis Katie reports.
Katie’s report: “Tombura County remains the potential county in terms of supplying their produce to the neighboring
counties, to the neighboring states. Here in the town every day you see that lorries from Wau are loading cassava
flour. As I am talking even now there are lorries on the roadsides, and in the markets loading cassava flour to be
transported to Wau, which means that Tombura is doing very badly in terms of farming. They are doing very well,
people are trying to do their best in terms of farming.”
The Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that works for conflict resolution, has embarked on
training of journalists in South Sudan.
Fourteen journalists from Wau are already attending the training which seeks to impart skills of conflict sensitive
reporting.
Daniel Lasuba, one of the facilitators encouraged the journalists to embrace the tenets of good reporting.
Lasuba: “We know that our country is going through a lot of turmoil, a lot of conflicts, and because of that we felt it
is important that we equip and teach our journalist on how to report about conflict stories, because conflict stories
are very complex. Sometimes they are mixed with propaganda, and if you are a very careful journalist, you will find
yourself that you are reporting false information that can create more problems.”
A new report released on Wednesday, says child mortality rates have dropped by more than half in the past 25
years, but 16,000 children still die every day from preventable causes before they reach their fifth birthday.
The report finds most of these deaths, roughly 45 per cent, are occurring before children celebrate even one month
of life.
The deaths are being attributed to prematurity and complications during labor and delivery, and diseases such as
pneumonia and malaria.
Flavia Bustreo, from the World Health Organization, says more efforts are needed in sub-Saharan Africa and
southern Asia, the regions with the highest child mortality rates.
Bustreo: "So it calls for increased attention by the policy makers, by the investors in health, and attention on that
first moment of life—the birth, the first week of life, and the first month of life—where actually the health of the
mother and the child really need to be addressed jointly."
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NEWS BULLETIN SCRIPT Wednesday,
February 10,
2016
Elsewhere, Ghana's judicial council is to start an inquiry into corruption in the judiciary after a two-year
investigation by a top journalist.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas's investigation alleges that 34 judges have taken bribes and extorted money.
He says he has nearly 500 hours of video evidence on tape, which has been handed over to the chief justice.
The attorney-general has granted the journalist immunity under the whistle-blower act to pursue the story.
Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood has summoned the 12 high court judges and 22 lower court justices
implicated in Mr. Anas's investigation, which has yet to be broadcast, to appear before the Judicial Council on
Thursday.
To end the news, here are the headlines once again.
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Parliament ratifies the peace agreement
MP flags imminent lack of drugs in the country
Farmers in Tombura County celebrate a plentiful harvest
Radio Miraya News.
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