South Sudan in Focus: Sudan’s pro-democracy opposition group the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) held an “unofficial” meeting with military leaders on Thursday after boycotting the launch of UN-sponsored military-civilian talks on Wednesday; A controversy over an Egyptian-sponsored project to dredge rivers and tributaries of the Nile and Sudd wetlands rages on in South Sudan; South Sudan’s national men’s soccer team, the Bright Stars, succumbed to two late goals by a 10-man Mali team in the ongoing qualifiers for the 2023 Confederation of African Football (CAF) tournament..