South Sudan’s defense minister, Angelina Teny has urged the Finance ministry to pay the organized forces the three months’ salary arrears to help their families in the coronavirus period.
Speaking to reporters in Juba on Friday, the minister said soldiers were last paid salaries in December last year, while expressing concerns over the situation of soldiers in the country.
“Covid-19 is having an impact on their livelihood and this is why we also raised this through the taskforce to the Ministry of Finance to at least avail salaries for the last three months so that our members [of the organize forces] are be able to manage during this time to store something little so that they prevent movements,” said Teny.
She added, “That for us is very important and very essential and we hope the national taskforce will resolve the matter.”
South Sudan has recorded four cases of coronavirus so far.
Key symptoms of the new coronavirus include fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. The virus is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes and the droplets land in the mouths and noses of another person.
A person can also get infected with coronavirus by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or their eyes.