Traders in Rumbek Centre Market say they closed shops until midday today owing to a protest by SPLA soldiers over alleged salary delays.
On Thursday morning, SPLA forces moved out from their barracks to the town demanding payment of three months’ salaries
Member of Rumbek Centre traders’ union, Abraham Manyiel told Radio Tamazuj that traders this morning did not to open their shops after they heard SPLA soldiers were coming toward the town. They feared the soldiers would interfere with their businesses.
“Yes, today market has remained closed and the reason was that the army were demanding salaries of their three months in which they were given only one month on Monday and that’s why they decided to came to the town and see where are the rest of the other months,” he said.
Manyiel said the soldiers eventually returned to their barracks at Langchok and Ageer after talks with state authorities and senior officers.
The state authority together with some military officers told the soldiers that it was their right and they promised to talk to their officers in Juba and the army accepted to wait allowing the state officials to follow up the issue from their headquarters.
Meanwhile, the head of the Darfur traders union in Rumbek, Mohamed Hassan confirmed to Radio Tamazuj at about midday that their shops are reopening because the SPLA soldiers were returning to their barracks.
Separately, a military source told Radio Tamazuj that the soldiers from Ageer and Langchok this morning placed roadblocks in Rumbek and were demanding three months payment from the general headquarters.
The troops involved were deployed to the area earlier on the request of the state government to contain inter-clan clashes. They were drawn from different units and divisions of the SPLA-Juba including some from as far as the 3rd Division in Wunyiik, which covers part of Abyei, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap, while others were picked from the 5th Division in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal.
The money for these soldiers consequently would have had to go through their parent unit but it did not reach to those in Rumbek.