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South Sudan VP Tests Positive for COVID-19

South Sudan’s Vice President, and chairman of the National Committee on Covid-19, Hussein Abdelbagi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
South Sudan’s Vice President, and chairman of the National Committee on Covid-19, Hussein Abdelbagi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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South Sudan VP Tests Positive for COVID-19

South Sudan’s Vice President, and chairman of the National Committee on Covid-19, Hussein Abdelbagi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
South Sudan’s Vice President, and chairman of the National Committee on Covid-19, Hussein Abdelbagi (Asharq Al-Awsat)

South Sudan’s Vice President and chairman of the National Committee on COVID-19 Hussein Abdelbagi tested positive for the virus.

Abdelbagi confirmed the results during a statement on national TV, which makes him the fourth official to contract the virus within a week.

The VP went under self-isolation for 14 days, asserting that he will resume work from home during this period. He urged the public to follow the regulations to contain the rapid spread of the virus.

On Monday, South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit asserted that he is in good health. This was Kiir's first public appearance since it was reported that he contracted the virus.

Meanwhile, the First Vice President Riek Machar, his wife Angelina Teny, and Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth are also in self isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Undersecretary of the Health Ministry, Makur Makur Kariom, stated that five health workers contracted the virus. Later, he announced that a doctor died from complications.

Kariom noted that health workers face many challenges including patients’ management and salary issues.

As of Friday, South Sudan has recorded 994 confirmed cases, and ten deaths since the start of the outbreak.

Recently, Juba-based think tank, the Sudd Institute issued a report warning that coronavirus infections could exceed 3000 cases in the first days of June, despite the measures taken by the government to reduce the spread of the pandemic.

“If the present infection trajectory holds into the future, the total number of confirmed cases in South Sudan would be 3,054 by June 6, 2020.”

The report said that preventive measures taken by Kiir last March were “grossly ineffective”, which led to an increase in the number of cases in the country.

Sudd’s director of research, Augustino Mayai, said that based on this estimate, the number of confirmed infections per day would be expected to peak at 96 cases.

He indicated that there are options for the country to adopt, recommending widening testing capabilities as a possible means to reverse this trend.

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Israel Launches 1st Airstrike on Lebanon Since Ceasefire

This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Israel Launches 1st Airstrike on Lebanon Since Ceasefire

This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.

There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, The Associated Press reported.

The Israeli army said a warplane carried out an airstrike after "terrorist activity was detected at a Hezbollah facility containing medium-range rockets in south Lebanon."

"The IDF (Israeli army) is deployed in southern Lebanon, acting to thwart any violation of the ceasefire agreement," the Israeli military added.

The mayor of the town of Baysariyeh in southern Lebanon, Nazih Eid, told AFP that a warplane launched a raid "on the eastern edge of the town of Baysariyeh. They targeted a forested area not accessible to civilians."

The aerial attack came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.

The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah militants are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.

On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.

A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said on Thursday it was ending some protective restrictions that had limited the size of gatherings in parts of central and northern Israel.

The change was made following a situational assessment, the military said.