The national ministers who were relieved of duty yesterday are barred from entering their former offices except under escort.

The entire cabinet of 28 ministers as well as all the deputy ministers were removed by decree of President Salva Kiir and have yet to be replaced.

Undersecretaries are now responsible for discharging the functions of their respective ministries and are to report directly to an official in the presidency, Secretary-General of the Government Abdoun Agaw.

Agaw met today with the undersecretaries, state radio in Juba announced this evening. He was quoted as saying that former ministers and deputy ministers will only be allowed into the ministries to remove their personal belongings in the presence of security personnel.

According to a witness who spent the day at one of the ministries at the main ministries complex, very few government employees reported to work today. Some entrances to the complex were unguarded but at least one entrance was manned by soldiers armed with heavy machine guns.

File photo: The Ministry of Wildlife, Conservation and Tourism