Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO

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“I knew I was unwell, but not a criminal,” says Samat Nyuk, a patient recovering from a mental health condition in Malakal, South Sudan. “I needed support, not punishment. What hurt the most was that my own family chose prison for me instead of treatment.”

Samat was sent to prison by his family when traditional herbs and remedies failed to calm the turmoil in his mind. At the onset of his illness, he experienced vivid and terrifying visions.

“I felt like I was crossing a river where the water reached my neck, and I saw fingers pointing at me while voices urged me to drown,” he shares.

A friend, noticing Samat’s distress, sought traditional remedies. A local elder gave him an herbal root that brought a momentary reprieve. Concerned for both his son’s safety and their family’s well-being, Samat’s father, Nyuk, asked the local authorities to detain his son or find him help. Samat was restrained in June 2025 and taken to Malakal Central Prison, where he was placed in a small cell in the prison’s isolated section for those suffering from mental illness.

In Malakal, where no psychiatric care is available, families are often left with no alternative — sending their loved ones to jail becomes a desperate last resort. Life in prison was brutal for Samat. Initially, he was confined to a dark cell with nothing but a thin mat. He endured nights of cold, swarms of mosquitoes, and relentless voices in his head.

A growing but overlooked crisis

South Sudan is grappling with a profound but often invisible mental health crisis. Decades of conflict, displacement, poverty, and food insecurity have inflicted lasting wounds. Ongoing insecurity and recurrent displacement continue to disrupt essential services, forcing communities to remain on the move and putting health staff and facilities at constant risk. This situation not only deepens the need for mental health support but also severely undermines the ability to deliver sustained care.

Many people live with anxiety, depression, trauma, and post-traumatic stress; however, services remain woefully inadequate. Access to trained professionals, effective treatments, and community awareness is limited. The outcome is grim: individuals with mental health conditions often face stigma, neglect, or are treated as criminals, leading to their incarceration.

Survivors of sexual and gender-based violence face additional layers of trauma, underscoring the need for integrated mental health and legal support services. These comprehensive responses are resource-intensive and often unavailable in many parts of the country.

On the other hand, mental health and psychosocial support programmes remain chronically underfunded and vulnerable to sudden budget cuts, threatening the continuity of services, staff retention, and the steady supply of essential medicines.

“In many cases, detention centres become the only places where those with severe symptoms can receive care or be kept safe,” says Laura Ximena, MSF’s mental health activity manager in Malakal. “While this is far from ideal, it reflects the urgent need for enhanced mental health infrastructure in the region.”

MSF’s response in Malakal

In Malakal, we provide mental health services at the Malakal Teaching hospital. Since 2023, we have been providing mental health care and psychiatric medications at the Malakal Central Prison. MSF staff members and one staff from the Ministry of Health provide follow-up care through counselling and psychopharmacological treatment. In the detention centre, we try to ensure that patients are doing well and take their medication every day.

Between January and August 2025, MSF provided mental health consultations to 1,130 individuals in Malakal, which included 761 women (67%) and 369 men (33%). For patients requiring specialised care and pharmacological care, the most common diagnoses include psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression, and mental health comorbidities involving psychoactive substance use.

Samat’s experience mirrors the plight of many patients in need of mental health care in South Sudan—faced with limited options, individuals often resort to desperate measures. Some have even had suicidal thoughts.

Between January and September this year, 12 patients seen by MSF admitted to contemplating suicide, primarily due to prolonged trauma, instability, inadequate psychosocial support, food insecurity, and exposure to violence. April 2025 saw the highest number of cases, with four patients having attempted suicide and one having thoughts of suicide.

MSF also conducts awareness sessions in various settings targeting healthcare staff and patients in hospitals. These include brief talks in waiting areas and community focus group discussions with local leaders to promote mutual support and reduce stigma. MSF also holds participatory awareness sessions in secondary schools and runs radio programmes in local languages.

Our work in Malakal continues to show that with appropriate medication, counselling, and consistent follow-up, as well as family and community support, recovery is possible. However, progress remains fragile without food security, social support, and an effective health system.

“Mental health must be integrated into healthcare services across South Sudan, ensuring trained professionals are available at all care levels,” says Ximena. “This also requires securing essential psychotropic medicines, maintaining buffer stocks, and integrating them into existing supply chains.”

“Community awareness and family involvement are equally vital,” she says. “Above all, individuals with mental health conditions deserve to be treated as persons with dignity, and not resort to detention centres where they can be associated with criminals.”

MSF continues to follow up with Samat and other patients who have been sent home, providing them with medication and counselling. Today, Samat is regaining his strength and searching for a job.

“What gives me hope now is freedom,” he says.  “Prisons are not suitable for individuals with mental health conditions. We need hospitals—places offering treatment, food, and hope for recovery.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

Source: APO

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Lawmakers have hailed the late former Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Amollo Odinga for his Pan Africanism spirit saying that he was a leader revered across Africa and the whole world.

Odinga died in India on Wednesday, 15 October 2025 after he reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest. 

He was laid to rest on Sunday, 19 October 2025 in his ancestral home in Bondo, near Lake Victoria, Western Kenya.

Members of Parliament paid tribute to Raila Odinga during the plenary sitting on Monday, 20 October 2025.

In his communication, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa said that Raila Odinga contributed towards the development and promotion of democracy across Africa.

“He was a true statesman, a Pan Africanist and he was a good friend of Uganda, a good friend of the region and we shall miss him. Our condolences to the people of Kenya, Africa and the world at large,” Tayebwa said.

The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi described Odinga as a political giant who fought for his country’s democracy. 

“Odinga sought to become President of Kenya and it did not happen but his contribution to Kenya’s democracy is indelible. We do sympathise with his family and the people of Kenya”, Ssenyonyi said.

The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon.  Nobert Mao applauded Odinga for championing the East African Community integration. 

“Those of you who were here in the previous parliaments, there were two bodies; the Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum on Peace and the Parliamentary Network on World Bank. The late Raila Odinga was a key promoter of those bodies,” Mao said.

Tororo District Woman Representative, Hon. Sarah Opendi said that Odinga shaped the politics of Kenya adding that his counsel was valuable to Kenya’s presidents. 

“No president ruled Kenya without engaging with Odinga, little wonder he was commonly referred to as Baba. There is a lot that we can learn from him, there was unity in Kenya, everybody was mourning”, said Opendi.

She added that Odinga will be remembered for advocating for infrastructural development in East Africa, especially the Standard Gauge Railway.

Odinga who died aged 80 was an avid opposition leader, who became Prime Minister in 2008. His political journey saw him form alliances with former Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018 and incumbent President, William Ruto in 2024. 

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

Source: APO

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Today, the Council approved conclusions strongly condemning the ongoing conflict in Sudan, that has been causing the loss of thousands of lives and immense hardship for the Sudanese people for more than two years, and poses a serious threat to stability and security across the wider region.

The EU is extremely concerned about the unity, territorial integrity and stability of Sudan, which are at serious risk, with increasing fragmentation along political and ethnic lines further exacerbated by the emergence of parallel governing structures. The EU rejects any attempt to partition Sudan.

The Council conclusions emphasise that the primary responsibility for ending the conflict lies with the leadership of both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and those supporting these entities. The EU has defined certain asks to all parties to the conflict. These are as follows:

a) constructive engagement in negotiations towards an immediate ceasefire and in a credible inclusive peace mediation process, leading to a sustained cessation of hostilities;

b) ensuring rapid, unimpeded and sustainable humanitarian access and the protection of civilians across all of Sudan;

c) credible commitments to facilitate a genuinely inclusive, representative and independent civilian governance;

d) restoring and strengthening rule of law, accountability, respect for international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law, and justice in Sudan.

The EU is ready to increase its engagement with the parties to the conflict, provided there is credible progress towards achieving the EU’s key asks.

As co-chair of the Paris and London conferences for Sudan and its neighbouring countries, the EU has illustrated its commitment to support the people of Sudan and to play an active role in addressing the conflict in a comprehensive way. The EU will remain actively engaged, including at the highest level, and will act with one voice, promoting inclusive formats and ensuring full coordination with relevant like-minded actors. It will continue to employ, and where possible intensify the use of the full range of foreign policy instruments at its disposal – including, where appropriate, targeted restrictive measures – to achieve a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

The EU acknowledges the inherent rights of the Sudanese people to freedom, peace, and justice, and reiterates its steadfast commitment to accompanying Sudan in its efforts to preserve its unity and territorial integrity, and to achieve lasting stability, democracy, and sustainable prosperity.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Council of the European Union.

Source: APO

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A UN expert today welcomed the publication of a Guiding Note on Reporting on the Rights and Welfare of Children with Albinism in Africa, a critical tool developed by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) in collaboration with the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism. She issued the following statement:

“Children with albinism continue to face systemic discrimination, violence, ritual attacks, and exclusion, particularly in areas of education, healthcare, parental care and protection, social protection, and access to justice among others. We urgently need targeted action to protect and promote their human rights.

The Guiding Note on Reporting on the Rights and Welfare of Children with Albinism in Africa provides key indicators to assist African Union Member States in fulfilling their reporting obligations under the African Children’s Charter, with a specific focus on addressing the peculiar challenges faced by children with albinism. The indicators guide States on which specific areas they should report on in relation to children with albinism when submitting their State Party reports to the ACERWC.

I call on all African Union Member States to integrate these indicators into their reporting frameworks and to take concrete steps to implement the recommendations. It is only through sustained commitment and collaboration that we will be able to eliminate the barriers faced by children with albinism and uphold their rights to non-discrimination, life, survival and development, and full inclusion and participation in society.

The Guiding Note is also a critical tool for other stakeholders such as children, NHRIs, and CSOs in their alternative or complementary reports to the Committee. It also serves as an important advocacy tool for all stakeholders. This Guiding Note is a testament to the power of partnership between regional and international mechanisms on issues of Children with Albinism and beyond.

Let us seize this opportunity to transform the lives of children with albinism across Africa.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Source: APO

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Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Minister of Religious Endowments (Awqaf), Dr. Usama Al-Azhari.

Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said the meeting reviewed several key files pertaining to the Ministry’s work. The President followed-up on progress of the ministry’s religious outreach efforts, emphasizing the importance of continuing efforts to protect and prevent the spread of extremist thought, while promoting correct values.

In this regard, President El-Sisi gave directives to continue efforts toward improving the conditions of imams, preachers, and religious educators, and to further enhance training and qualification programs in alignment with the latest relevant systems and methodologies. The President emphasized the need to confront religious extremism in all its forms and counter negative values and behaviors.

Moreover, the President followed-up on the latest developments of the “Correct Your Concepts” awareness initiative, which is a cornerstone of the Ministry’s strategy to build enlightened religious and societal awareness. The Minister of Religious Endowments pointed out that the ministry has recently launched an educational program for children for the current year (2025-2026), with the participation of 20,880 mosques across the country, as part of the initiative. This initiative aligns with the ministry’s scientific, religious, and educational role, and its ongoing efforts to instill religious, moral, and national values in the younger generation and build a balanced Egyptian character based on religious principles. President El-Sisi confirmed the necessity to provide children and youth with correct religious knowledge and instilling in them values of moderation and pride in national identity.

The meeting also discussed ways to maximize the benefits from the assets of the Egyptian Awqaf Authority, including identifying promising investment opportunities that could be leveraged to achieve further goals through more efficient and effective management of these assets.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.