South Sudan's rival leaders form coalition government

In an attempt to end years of ruinous conflict that has killed almost 400,000 and forced millions from their homes, rival leaders in South Sudan have formed a transitional coalition government.

Opposition leader Riek Machar was sworn in on Saturday in the capital, Juba, as the first deputy of President Salva Kiir a day after the previous government was dissolved.

"I do hereby swear that I shall be faithful and bear diligence to the Republic of South Sudan," Machar said in his oath in front of a room packed with diplomats and regional representatives, including Sudanese leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Amid applause, Machar embraced and shook hands with Kiir. 

For his part, Kiir declared "the official end of the war, and we can now proclaim a new dawn". Peace is "never to be shaken ever again", the president said, adding that he had forgiven Machar and asking for Machar's forgiveness, to applause. He called on their respective Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups to do the same.

Kiir and Machar started out as president and deputy at independence from Sudan in 2011. But two years later, Kiir sacked Machar and later accused him of attempting a coup against him, sparking a bloody war characterised by ethnic conflict. 

INEC Deregisters 74 Political Parties

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has deregistered seventy-four political parties out of the existing 91.

This happened after the commission recently carried out a review of the performance of political parties after the 2019 general elections to see which parties qualify to exists.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja, the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu also disclosed that the Commission has fixed September 19th, 2020 for the governorship election in Edo and October 10th, 2020 for the gubernatorial Ondo state.

'Children at risk' amid coronavirus outbreak

Children are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus outbreak, international aid group Save the Children said, as it expressed concern over its spread in countries with weak healthcare systems.  

"While the Chinese government is taking effective measures to respond to this outbreak inside China, Save the Children is concerned about a potential outbreak in other parts of Asia where the healthcare systems won't be able to adequately screen for the virus or treat patients who have contracted it," Hassan Saadi Noor, the charity's Asia Regional Director, said in a statement.