South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"

By Jenifer James
The Central Equatoria State government on Friday launched a cleaning campaign at the Juba Protection of Civilian site (PoC) camp 3 aimed to prevent the spread of cholera.
This initiative comes after the State Ministry of Health recorded a significant rise in cholera cases within the camp.
The Deputy Governor of Central Equatoria State, Paulino Lukudu Obede, said the accumulation of garbage in the camp was a major factor contributing to the cholera outbreak.
“The garbage accumulated here is the reason for the increase of cholera cases in the camp,” said Lukudu.
He assured that garbage collection vehicles had been deployed and emphasised that authorities would continue with the cleaning efforts.
Lukudu highlighted that the camp currently has 57 toilets, although only a few are operational.
“As the government of the state, we are going to renovate 21 toilets to help the community,” he said. He stressed the importance of maintaining cleanliness to reduce cholera risk, stating, “We need to continue with the cleaning,” he disclosed.
Juba County Commissioner, Emmanuel Tete Ezbon, underscored the importance of maintaining hygiene within the camp.
Tete said preventing the spread of cholera requires proper hygiene practices.
“For the country to stop the spread of cholera there is a need for the community to wash their hands with soap and clean water,” he said.
Tete explained that cleaning is the first step in halting cholera, particularly during this season.
“Coming here as the Commissioner, I am not here to clean the houses of people, but I will encourage you to clean your residences, and the authority will pick up the garbage from designated collection areas,” he said.
However, the Minister of Health for Central Equatoria State, Najwa Juma Mursal, called on both the state and national governments to prioritize establishing a health facility in the camp.
This comes after the community raised concern over the lack of health facilities in the camp.
Juma emphasised that the government is responsible for establishing a county hospital to provide services to 38,000 people in the camp.
She disclosed that the government is actively lobbying organisations to provide assistance to enable the construction of the hospital in the PoC.