A hotelier in South Sudan’s capital Juba has revealed the transitional government owes him over USD 7 million for accommodating officials drawn from the parties that inked the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
Ayii Duang Ayii, the proprietor of South Sudan Hotel and owner of a string of other businesses, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that his hotel has accommodated peace delegates and the offices of the peace implementation body since the pre-transitional period shortly after the peace agreement was signed. He said they have not been paid since.
“As the chairperson of the business community in South Sudan and the Chairman of the South Sudan Hotel, I can say that my hotel welcomed the peace agreement and was the first to host officials from the parties that signed the agreement and offices of the peace mechanisms,” he said. “We did this because we want our country to have peace and development. After hosting them, and giving them accommodation, transportation, and other services, no money has been paid to us up to now. South Sudan Hotel is owed slightly over USD 7 million.”
“Interestingly, money used to be released from the finance ministry to the National Transitional Committee (NTC) which is responsible for the peace arrangements but would not reach contracted service providers,” Duang added.
He said the money would go to the National Transitional Committee (NTC), the body tasked to oversee the implementation of the 2018 peace deal and headed by Tut Gatluak, the president’s security advisor, but would never reach them.
“We sent several reminders to no avail. I even came out with a decision that if there was no way they could pay us, they should vacate and hand back my hotel. However, the officials who had offices and those who were residing with us pleaded with me and said all the other hotels had evicted their colleagues,” Duang explained. “They told me they could not leave South Sudan Hotel because they had nowhere else to go and appealed to me to let them stay. So, even after officials linked to peace implementation were chased from other hotels, I could not evict them because I respect our government and the peace process which I believe is vital for this country. So, we left them and up to now they are in South Sudan Hotel even without paying for services.”
“I pay for water and electricity from my own pockets however they eat outside the hotel because we cannot afford to even cook at the hotel anymore,” the hotelier stated.
According to Duang, out of sympathy for the hotels and other service providers, First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar suggested that the money owed them by the government be included in the national budget but this was not done.
“I am despondent that it was deliberately left out (of the budget) yet we are facilitating the peace agreement,” he said. “We have an option of going to court but we would simply be causing more problems for our nation because we know the current situation our country is in.”