South Sudan’s embassy in Italy has been closed following the government’s sustained failure to pay rental arrears, with diplomats not being paid for nearly 10 months, a top South Sudanese diplomat said.
The diplomat, who preferred anonymity, told Radio Tamazuj today that activities at the South Sudanese embassy in Rome have collapsed over the inadequate funding of the office by the government.
He pointed out that the government could not pay four months' rent arrears and that the diplomatic staffs at the embassy have gone unpaid for nearly 10 months.
South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs admitted that it is struggling to pay its diplomats abroad as the country’s dire economic situation worsens and inflation soars.
The ministry’s official spokesman Mawien Makol Ariik told Radio Tamazuj that the government is still trying to figure out solutions to the problem soon.
“We were supposed to pay the arrears and the embassy was under legal notice for eviction but we have sent some money,” he said.
“Peace is coming and I think there will be a solution when there is peace,” he added.
South Sudan has been experiencing serious economic challenges, which are mostly attributed to the ongoing civil war that has disrupted oil production.