Page 15 - Issue 9

COVER STORY

South Sudan:

Women empowerment, Rebecca Nyadeng’ De Mabior,
Vice President of South Sudan

as country turns new page

he February, 2020 peace deal in to women and girls who suffer hideous estimates that 716,508 civilians have
TSouth Sudan and the consequent consequences of the violence, abuse, been displaced by armed violence and
naming re-organization of government deprivation and loss of livelihoods. The insecurity. Of these, 75,308 have sought
under the R-ARCSS and the naming of responsibility for family wellbeing in shelter and protection at bases of the
a new cabinet, including a woman Vice these difficult circumstances places a United Nations Mission in the Republic
President, has once again placed the phenomenal burden on women. of South Sudan (UNMISS). Women,
East African country in the spotlight on According the appointment of Rebecca girls and children make up the majority
women empowerment. of those displaced and in desperate need
and other women to the new cabinet is
Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, one of seen by observers as recognition, not just of humanitarian assistance.
the 5 Vice Presidents is the widow of the the suffering experienced by women, but
late General John Garang’, the father the
youngest nation in the world. The others
appointed vice presidents include James
Wani Igga, Taban Deng Gai and. Gen.
Hussein Abdelbagi Akol of the South
Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA). Dr
Riek Machar, the main signatory to the
peace deal and leader of the SPLM-IO is
the First Vice President.
South Sudan gained independence
from Sudan on 9 July 2011. The fifty-
year long war between North and South
Sudan bred a culture of violence that still
pervades. Even after the independence
of South Sudan, the new nation has been
confronted by internal conflicts since
2013, just 3 years after independence President Salva Kiir, Dr Riek Machar, First VP and 3 of the other Vive presidents,
creating a humanitarian crisis with Including Rebecca of the far right,
displacement of populations and reversal
of development gains.
also the role of role of that has been and The women of South Sudan participated
According to UN Women-UN Women indeed be played by the other gender actively in the peace talks both as direct
is a UN organization dealing with in finding peace and reconciliation in representatives of the two sides of the
gender equality and the empowerment country divided on ethnic lines. conflict, and as representative of neutral
of women worldwide-these conflicts civil society organizations advocating
disproportionately affected and continue The UN Office for the Coordination for the concerns and interest of all the
of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

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