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STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / TRADITIONAL LEADERS
TRT: 04:32
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 17, 31 OCTOBER 2024, LEMON GABA, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
31 OCTOBER 2024, LEMON GABA, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, people at water point
2. Med shot, sign showing water point
3. Various shots, water point
4. Various shots, Ikbal carrying jerrican full of water to her house
5. Various shots, Ikbal in her house
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ikbal Abubakar, Lemon Gaba Resident:
“This water is very important for us. The water pump is helping a lot. The water tanks sometimes do not come. Comparing the pricing, we get free from the borehole, but we pay 6000 SSP for one bowser.”
7. Various shots, Ikbal
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Alhajj Abdulla Paul, Community Leader:
“This hand pump has been installed by IOM, supported by USAID before land demarcation. This place was previously not demarcated, but now it has been demarcated, and then allocated for people as a plot. And even now where we are standing, this area no longer belongs to the community. It has been given to somebody else.”
9. Wide shot, water bowser driving on bad road
10. Various shots, lorry along road
11. Close up, sign showing medical facility
17 OCTOBER 2024, LEMON GABA, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
12. Various shots, under tent at community engagement session
13. Various shots, people listening
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Stella Johnson, Community Connect, and Lemon Gaba Resident:
“Sitting here was very important in terms of - we got to know new things especially the well detailed representation from the three sections where we bought the mandate of UNMISS, the mandate of R-JMEC, and then we also got the process of the constitutional review, which is very important for us citizens and very important for us who work in the communities because we have to give the communities the right information, and also we had questions about the processes today was very good that it was clarified and that means that we will be also taking the right information to the people in the communities.”
15. Various shots, men listening
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruben Inaju, Outreach Officer, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“We believe that, in view of the postponement of the elections and given the general political climate, we felt it was proper to get to the communities, using R-JMEC (the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission) which has been monitoring the Revitalized Agreement, to explain to the people the reason behind the postponement, what has been achieved since the agreement was signed in 2018, what has been accomplished, what is outstanding and what are the reasons for the postponement of the elections.”
17. Med shot, woman asking question at event
18. Med shot, people listening
The residents of Lemon Gaba, in Juba, gathered at a grassroots event, hosted by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and led by traditional leaders, to share their concerns and discuss the importance of their engagement in governance, peace and democratic processes.
Leveraging the powerful influence of traditional leaders, the aim is to build trust and ensure an open and inclusive civic and political space.
Life in Lemon Gaba is tough. With an economic crisis sweeping across South Sudan, the 35,000 residents in this part of the capital Juba are struggling to access vital services, including having to queue for hours at a public water point, carry buckets to their homes miles away, and repeat that journey many times a day to get enough supplies for their families.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ikbal Abubakar, Lemon Gaba Resident:
“This water is very important for us. The water pump is helping a lot. The water tanks sometimes do not come. Comparing the pricing, we get free from the borehole, but we pay 6000 SSP for one bowser.”
There’s also concern that land ownership disputes could threaten access to this critical resource.
SOUNDBITE (English) Alhajj Abdulla Paul, Community Leader:
“This hand pump has been installed by IOM, supported by USAID before land demarcation. This place was previously not demarcated, but now it has been demarcated, and then allocated for people as a plot. And even now where we are standing, this area no longer belongs to the community. It has been given to somebody else.”
Water is just one of many challenges. Drainage system and roads are poor, health centres are limited, and schools are mostly commercial and too expensive.
SOUNDBITE (English) Stella Johnson, Community Connect, and Lemon Gaba Resident:
“Sitting here was very important in terms of - we got to know new things especially the well detailed representation from the three sections where we bought the mandate of UNMISS, the mandate of R-JMEC, and then we also got the process of the constitutional review, which is very important for us citizens and very important for us who work in the communities because we have to give the communities the right information, and also we had questions about the processes today was very good that it was clarified and that means that we will be also taking the right information to the people in the communities.”
This grassroots initiative is being rolled out in neighbourhoods throughout the capital and beyond.
SOUNDBITE (English) Ruben Inaju, Outreach Officer, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“We believe that, in view of the postponement of the elections and given the general political climate, we felt it was proper to get to the communities, using R-JMEC (the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission) which has been monitoring the Revitalized Agreement, to explain to the people the reason behind the postponement, what has been achieved since the agreement was signed in 2018, what has been accomplished, what is outstanding and what are the reasons for the postponement of the elections.”
While elections might not be top of mind for communities suffering from the dire economic situation, it is through these democratic processes that they will have the chance to choose their own leaders, determine their future, and drive recovery and development that will benefit people across South Sudan.
