Recovery and Reconstruction

May 24, 2012 - About 900 returnees in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State received land certificates from the state government today at a ceremony held in Apada, a returnee settlement area near the capital Aweil.

Governor Lt. Gen. Paul Malong Awan officially launched the initiative, which transfers land to resettle about 1,250 households in Nyalat, about 6 kilometres west of Aweil. The layout plans include residential plots, with a provision for public utilities, social and community facilities.

By Autumn Brown

When Nonelyn Sabas’ son was born, he was very sick. The doctors were not sure if he would live more than a few days. They said that it might have been caused by her fatigue from living in a tent for the last 3 months, or perhaps it was the contaminated water she drank on the night of December 16, 2011. Nonelyn would never forget that night when Typhoon Washi triggered a flash flood that ripped through the heart of the city, killing more than a thousand and leaving tens of thousands homeless, including Nonelyn and her family.

By Julius N. Uma

May 25, 2012 (JUBA) - A total of 900 South Sudanese returnees could hardly hide their joy after the Governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal on Thursday announced the transfer of about 500m² of land meant to resettle about 1,250 households in Nyalat, located about 6km west of Aweil, the state capital.

HAVANA, May 24, 2012 (IPS) - In Los Palacios, a farming community in the western Cuban province of Pinar del Río, local residents are still working hard to rebuild after the damage caused by two of the three hurricanes that hit this country in 2008. "It was just horrible," people here say when asked about what happened.

May 25, 2012 - 12:38 - Abu Dhabi 24 May 2012 (WAM) - The Working Group on Economic Recovery and Development of the Friends of the Syrian People ("the Working Group"), issued the following statement following its meeting today in Abu Dhabi.

The Working Group welcomed the participation of designated representatives of the Syrian National Council and other members of the Syrian opposition, including members of the Syrian civil society and business community, as well as Syrian economic experts.

Millions of people living in the Baro-Akobo-Sobat (BAS) area of the Nile Basin are to benefit from a range of multi-purpose water resources projects to be planned by the Nile Basin Initiative. On May 4, the African Development Bank approved a €2 million grant from the African Water Facility to finance the development study needed to attract the investments required to implement them. The overall project is supported jointly by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development- Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (NEPAD-IPPF).