South Sudan’s Ministry of Finance and Planning has released one-month salary for civil servants and the disciplined forces after close to 10 months.
Speaking to reporters in Juba on Friday, Parliament Spokesperson Oliver Mori Benjamin said the House had summoned the new Finance Minister and the National Revenue Authority Commissioner General to explain why only one-month salary was paid against the expectation of at least four months’ arrears.
“We have had almost three Finance ministers within the last six or seven months and the latest one has not had sufficient time in office to address the salaries issue,” he said.
Mori said the President had made it clear that the non-oil revenue was enough to pay the civil servants and meet certain obligations of the government, hence the expectation that the Minister of Finance would start clearing the nine months’ arrears.
He added that the House also wanted to know if the Finance ministry and the revenue agency had harmonized the bank accounts as directed by President Salva Kiir.
Parliament, he added, also wanted to know the revenue amounts accruing from the non-oil sector monthly.
South Sudan faces escalating unrest as workers down their tools demanding salary arrears. Civil servants have gone for nearly 10 months without pay, prompting strikes involving teachers and university lecturers.
The transitional government is unable to pay salaries due to poor management of non-oil revenues and a reduction in oil production.
The war in neighbouring Sudan has led oil revenues to fall precipitously, raising fears that South Sudan’s economy could collapse.