It is necessary to place the current political crisis in South Sudan within a historical context and accept that if the South Sudanese were able to fight for independence over six decades and unanimously vote for independence in 2011, there is no reason that they cannot vote for peace and stability in 2014

Justice Africa calls for support for civil society engagement in transformation processes in South Sudan

The groups say open and free dialogue that yield a mutually accepted agreement reached through the informed opinion of all the concerned parties, are the only way to resolve the current political differences

Sudan Solidarity Network calls for immediate end of the fighting that has killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands of others in the world’s newest nation

The crisis in South Sudan is the outcome of a deadly cocktail of personal ambition, state failure, high level corruption and neglect of service delivery to the people, political manipulation of negative ethnicity and failure to transform a revered liberation movement into an accountable ruling party. To start with, the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement should be dissolved

South Sudan is at a crossroads. The government might have to swallow its pride and reward Riek Machar‘s unconstitutional and deadly political actions. Any attempt to punish him could backfire terribly. But this option has its own dangers as well

The horrendous violence that has torn the lives of South Sudanese in the past three weeks has caught many people by utter surprise. Former Vice President Riek Machar, believed to be leading a rebellion against President Salva Kiir, appears determined to get a favourable political settlement at whatever cost

Discussions are ongoing inside South Sudan about building an oil pipeline through Kenya to the port of Lamu to better exploit the country's most important natural resource. But roads would be a better option

On 8 July 8 2013 several individuals wrote to the President of South Sudan, expressing unease at disturbing developments in the country, particularly the impunity of the armed forces and growing corruption that portend future instability for the country. An immediate commitment to rectifying these problems is called for

The newly independent nation is beset by a host of problems of underdevelopment arising from slavery, wars and fragmentation of society. The serious hardships facing young people, who are the majority of the population, should be seen in this context and addressed urgently

South Sudan analyst responds to critiques of his previous articles on the challenges of building the new nation.

Rights groups are calling for an end to the death penalty in South Sudan and for improvements to the squalid prison conditions where people languish for years, often without due process. A statement on 5 November and an accompanying letter to South Sudan's government, signed by Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and local church and civil society groups, has called for a moratorium on executions, especially as 'South Sudan is currently not able to fully guarantee the minimum safeguards... on the use of the death penalty'.

The month of October has seen a significant escalation of aerial bombardment by the Sudanese government in Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) controlled areas of South Kordofan. Nuba Reports journalists confirmed 102 bombs, double the 51 bombs dropped in September. Of these 102 bombs, 81 targeted civilians areas not under ground attack by either the Sudan People's Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) or Sudan government forces. Not a single bomb dropped into these civilian sites killed or wounded an SPLA-N solider, the intended target.

South Sudan said on Sunday it had expelled a UN human rights investigator, accusing her of writing false reports, a move the UN mission said broke the country's legal obligations to the United Nations. UN sources, who named the officer as Sandra Beidas, said the expulsion may have been related to an August report accusing the army of torturing, raping, killing and abducting civilians.

Janet Otieno, a Nairobi-based journalist, writes that xenophobia seems to be steadily taking root in Africa’s newest nation, as the hosts growingly perceive foreigners are encroaching on their territory and taking up their jobs. Even humanitarian workers are not spared in a country where civilians still possess firearms given proper disarmament is yet to be carried out since a bloody civil war ended.

In Lakes State more than 10 children are admitted to hospital every month with acute malnutrition. John Kennedy, a nurse working in the children’s ward in Rumbek State Hospital, explained that most children admitted were severely malnourished. He said that July, August and September are the worst months for food shortages in the state.

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has revealed that Hepatitis E has caused the death of 22 people in South Sudan, mainly in camps of internally-displaced persons and refugees. Hepatitis E is a viral disease that attacks the liver and is usually caused by lack of hygiene and by consuming contaminated water.

In October 2012, ARTICLE 19 analysed the Draft the Broadcasting Corporation Bill, 2012 of South Sudan. 'In particular, we are concerned that the biggest changes introduced relate to the process for appointing and dismissing members of the Board of Directors of SSBC, and that their effect is to place the broadcaster under the control of the President and Minister of Information and Broadcasting, rather than the National Legislative Assembly.'

South Sudan's security forces have committed 'shocking' acts of violence against civilians, including killings and rapes, Amnesty International says. In a report, the UK-based human rights group says the abuse has been taking place during a disarmament campaign in the eastern Jonglei state. Amnesty urges South Sudan to take 'immediate action' to end the violence.

The United Nations described South Sudan’s refugee crisis as 'critical'. Unless the political tension in Sudan is resolved, experts warn the outlook will sharply deteriorate.