Civil servants in South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal State are complaining about a four-month salary delay spanning from July to October.
The outcry follows the recent payment of armed personnel, including the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), South Sudan National Police (SSNPS), and Wildlife Conservation personnel across ten states.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Friday, Deng Bak, a government employee, said: “The delay of wages is affecting us in so many ways because we have gone four months without any money. It is difficult to carry out your duties when you don’t have money to provide for your family or purchase fuel for government vehicles and motorcycles.”
Peter Diing Ngong, the Executive Director for Wider Aid and Development Agency (WADA), confirmed the suffering of civil servants and its connection to the closure of some government-led schools.
He warned that this delay has led to poor performance in government-run primary and secondary schools.
“People of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State are suffering because they have been waiting for almost four months without receiving salaries from the government. This has resulted in the closure of some schools and poor performance in government-led educational institutions,” said Diing.
For his part, State Minister of Cabinet Affairs Sebastiano Uchen confirmed the salary delay, saying top government officials, including ministers and advisers, are also awaiting their salaries for the last four months.
He indicated that a national financial committee dispatched from the capital Juba would address the payment arrears.
Last month, the national minister of finance and planning blamed the delay in paying civil servants’ salaries on the delay in the adoption of a biometric system, and adjustment of the payroll to the new salary structure.
In August, the national legislative assembly passed SSP2 trillion for the fiscal year 2023/2024 budget with a 400 percent increment in salaries and wages of civil servants and organized forces.