The Vatican said on Tuesday it had scrapped tentative plans for Pope Francis to make a visit this year to South Sudan, which has been hit by civil war, famine and a refugee crisis. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said the trip "was not for this year" but did not say when it might now take place. Church leaders in the country said they had expected the pope would visit the capital, Juba, probably in October, but the Vatican had never announced the trip officially. Oil-producing South Sudan, which became independent in 2011, descended into civil war in December 2013 when a dispute between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar exploded into fighting, often along ethnic lines. On top of the civil war, South Sudan has been hit by the same east African drought that has pushed Somalia to the brink of famine.

Source: The Star May 30, 2017 12:56 UTC