Category: Africa

Source: APO

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The usually quiet church compound in Mundri has turned in a bustling hub of activity with more than 4,000 people crowded together in makeshift shelters.

These families have sought sanctuary at the site after being forced to abandon their homes and flee for their lives during military confrontations between armed forces in Greater Mundri a few months ago.

Thirty-eight-year-old Aida Stephen is among those struggling to support her family in dire conditions.

Her youngest child clings to her side, traumatized by the experience, as she explains the challenges they face.

“It is very difficult to survive. We must hustle to fetch water and collect firewood. We are working for the host community harvesting cassava just to feed our children,” she says.

“Our shelters are damaged and collapse when it’s raining. We don’t know what to do. We don’t know whether peace will come or not.”

For many families, reaching Mundri in the eastern part of Western Equatoria meant walking for days.

“It took us seven days to get here because our children were struggling to travel such a long distance. We faced a lot of hardship and were lucky to reach here without anything bad happening to us,” explained Elizabeth Joy.

Peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have visited the site, meeting displaced families and local leaders to assess urgent needs and encourage dialogue to prevent further violence.

“During our interaction, we identified many protection concerns,” said Thomas Bazawi, UNMISS Protection, Transition and Reintegration Officer. “We are also engaging with authorities, including the County Commissioner, to try and organize a peace dialogue to improve security and create the conditions so that people can safely return home.”

While these efforts are underway, the families remain in limbo. They are not alone in this struggle which is familiar to hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese across the country who are caught in the catastrophic crossfire of persistent violence and victims of the political failure to secure peace.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Source: APO

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“Information is the backbone of communication. When the public lacks accurate information, rumors and misinformation can quickly spread and create conflict.”

This warning from civil society leader Bol Deng Bol reflects growing concern among community leaders in South Sudan’s Jonglei, where peace actors are intensifying efforts to counter hate speech and strengthen peaceful coexistence between communities.

A dialogue supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is geared towards reducing hostilities between Nuer internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Dinka host communities in Bor.

“The idea is to build trust and have constructive engagements that strengthen unity and social cohesion among those who have traditional grievances. If underlying drivers of conflict are addressed, communities will feel encouraged to resolve disputes peacefully” explained Khalif Farah, Civil Affairs Team Leader, UNMISS Bor.

The initiative also focuses on encouraging joint activities that bring together youth, local authorities, and community leaders.

For their part, youth leaders in Bor say they are playing an active role in strengthening communication between communities. “We are validating what we discussed over the past two days,” said Thon Jacob Kuany, speaking on behalf of Bor youth representatives. “The aim is to produce a final document that will guide everyone involved in the peace activities.”

According to Mr. Kuany, youth groups are developing a communication framework that will assign focal points along different routes to improve coordination and prevent misunderstandings that could escalate tensions. This framework will also guide participation in upcoming peace initiatives, including a planned marathon intended to promote unity among communities.

Another recommendation: the formation of joint peace committees representing different ethnic groups across Bor town, as well as measures to support youth engagement and strengthen community policing.

Access to reliable information will remain critical in the bid to prevent rumors and hate speech, particularly during times of political tension, say civil society representatives, who also emphasized the need to protect civic space and press freedom.

Organizers are hopeful that candid and constructive conversations will help reduce violence by strengthening early warning mechanisms and improving coordination between community leaders, youth groups, and local authorities. But, as community leaders point out, lasting stability in Jonglei will depend on communities themselves taking ownership of reconciliation efforts and rejecting messages of division.

The programme comes amid concerns about a potential spillover of tensions following clashes in neighboring counties such as Pigi, Ayod, Nyirol, Uror, and Akobo.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Source: APO

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A lack of specialists at the Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital has seen new borns and pre-mature babies moved to other facilities which exposes them to serious health risks.

The Acting Executive Director of the hospital, Dr Sam Ononge revealed that the facility cannot provide specialised care to over half of the babies admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).  

Enonge who appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (Central Government) on Tuesday, 17 March 2026 added that these pre-mature babies require specialised attention that the facility cannot offer, forcing them to seek care at Mengo and Nsambya Hospitals. 

“Forty-five percent of our babies who are admitted in the NICU are pre-terms, less than 32 weeks and they require to be checked in their eyes. We don’t have a specialist doctor to check these babies’ eyes,” he said. 

He warned that the situation puts the babies at risk of long-term complications.

“The danger is that the baby may survive but later become blind which is a disability,” he said adding that, ‘the babies sometimes get exposed to cold and infections during transfers’.

The absence of key specialists has also forced the hospital to refer new-borns requiring surgery to the Mulago National Referral Hospital, a process Dr Ononge described as equally risky.

Looking ahead, the hospital plans to establish a paediatric centre and expand its In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) services. 

Dr Enonge said the facility has already delivered IVF babies and will start accepting donors to support the programme.

Ononge added that the staffing in the intensive care unit is low with a few nurses handling more patients than recommended.

“As we stand now, we are like one nurse to six babies which is unbearable. The staff are getting burnt out and you can easily make mistakes when providing services,” he added.

Dr Ononge urged Members of Parliament to push for an increase in staffing levels to at least 60 per cent.

The Committee Deputy Chairperson, Hon. Gorreth Namugga called for full funding of the hospital and prioritisation of specialists saying, ‘if government can provide finances to other sectors, the women’s facility should be a priority’.

Namugga also cautioned against completely waiving fees for patients who cannot afford care.

“Let it be subsidised but do not completely waive it because it can be misused,” she said.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Source: APO

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Families and children in Tawila in North Darfur, one of the hardest to reach areas of Sudan, have received a life-saving boost after Save the Children delivered 30 metric tons of medicine and nutrition supplies following a challenging three-week road trip, Save the Children said.

The shipment, transported from Port Sudan, is expected to support over 80,000 children and 57,000 adults in Tawila and is enough to keep 20 health facilities and mobile clinics serving displaced communities running for six months. 

Tawila is home to more than  650,000 internally displaced people, most of whom fled violent attacks in North Darfur’s Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps last year. Displaced families are largely dependent on humanitarian agencies for health and nutrition services.   

Part of a larger drug consignment that arrived in Port Sudan from Nairobi, the shipment took three weeks to reach Tawila, crossing extreme desert terrain, perilous routes, and a volatile security environment.  This is Save the Children’s fourth consignment to Tawila since February 2025 and the first since a massive influx of displaced people in October 2025.

The delivery that arrived on Wednesday last week includes essential drugs such as antibiotics to treat respiratory infections, fluids, multivitamins, topical medications, ear and eye drops, and treatment for malnutrition. It also includes antibiotics to treat gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urinary tract infections, as well as medication for cholera. 

Save the Children said this delivery was crucial because health facilities in Tawila were dangerously low on medicines just as thousands of displaced families arrived. Urgent restocking was essential to prevent the collapse of maternal and child health services and to address the escalating malnutrition, famine risk, and disease outbreaks in overcrowded displacement sites. 

Dr. Bashir Kamal Eldin, Health & Nutrition Director of Save the Children in Sudan, said: “This delivery comes at a critical moment as humanitarian needs continue to escalate across Darfur, where large-scale displacement and limited access to healthcare are placing children at extreme risk. 

“With this shipment now in Tawila, Save the Children will refill essential medical stocks and support health facilities serving displaced populations. The delivery also strengthens preparedness for future humanitarian access to other areas of North Darfur, including El Fasher, once conditions allow for safe humanitarian movement. 

“We know that timely access to these supplies can mean the difference between life and death for thousands of displaced families.”  

After nearly three years of conflict, Sudan is facing the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 12 million people – one fifth of the population – forced from their homes. About 5 million children are displaced.

Save the Children remains committed to delivering life-saving health and nutrition services across Sudan, including mobile clinics, maternal healthcare, and treatment for malnourished children. However, humanitarian organizations cannot meet these growing needs alone. Sustained support from donors and partners is critical to ensure uninterrupted supply chains and enable humanitarian actors to reach communities in the hardest-to-access areas. 

Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1983 and provides programming for children and families affected by conflict, displacement, extreme poverty and hunger. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.

Source: APO

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The Shadow Minister of Education, Hon. Gonzaga Ssewungu, has expressed concern over the rising cases of market fires in Kampala causing widespread losses.

Reports indicate that a fire outbreak at Katwe Market destroyed more than 700 businesses, with property worth millions of shillings reduced to ashes on 15th March 2026.

Hon. Ssewungu, who is also the MP for Kalungu West County demanded that government explains and provides a report about the fires.

“Could we know what is happening with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)? A lot of fires are happening and people are losing properties and money. Even in Jinja,” he asked.

According to Ssewungu, many people are constructing storage buildings in Kampala but the buildings do not have fire hydrants.

He suggested that the KCCA installs fire hydrants in the markets and arcades as a way of controlling the fires.

Speaker, Anita Among, who presided over the plenary sitting on Tuesday 17 March 2026 guided that the House should appropriate accordingly so that KCCA can address the challenges it faces.

She further interested the MP to analyse the report produced by the Committee on Presidential Affairs highlighting the challenges faced by KCCA.

Representing government, the Attorney General, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, committed to take the matter before the KCCA leadership and the Minister for Kampala.

Relatedly, the Leader of Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, petitioned government to clarify why KCCA arrested vendors who were demolishing parts of a building, later the authority demolishing the building themselves.

The Shadow Minister for Kampala and Lord Mayor-elect, Hon. Ronald Balimwezo, backed Ssenyonyi’s concerns, saying, “We need a thorough report from the Minister. Two lives were lost, and I personally spoke to the Executive Director, who confirmed issuing a demolition order to the developer, yet no one has taken responsibility.”

He requested the Speaker to set up a committee to investigate the issue.

Speaker Among however guided that there was no need to set up a committee since KCCA would appear before the Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.