The SPLM-Juba has tried to funnel money donated for humanitarian relief into South Sudanese bank accounts under its own control.
In meetings that took place in July and August of this year, the SPLM-Juba was “disappointed that the Oslo funds had been allocated to humanitarian partners by donors without their consent,” according to draft minutes seen by Radio Tamazuj.
A donor’s conference held in Oslo, Norway in May 2013 raised over 600 million dollars in pledges from the international community to address the humanitarian crisis created by the conflict within the SPLM party. Since then, international pledges have topped a billion dollars.
In the July and August meetings, government representatives proposed that the pledged funds be deposited into an account in the Central Bank of South Sudan and that a technical committee would “scrutinize and approve all projects that are to be funded under this fund.” The delegates also wanted the committee to have “unfettered access” to information pertaining to how the funds are disbursed.
Humanitarian representatives at these meetings pushed back on control of aid funds by one of the warring parties.
The meetings were attended by the undersecretaries of the Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, and Humanitarian Affairs ministries, as well as the deputy director for Internal Security, director from the Office of the President, and director from the Ministry of Defense. The Relief and Rehabilitation Commission director general was also present.
Humanitarians say SPLM-Juba’s attempts to divert money meant for helping civilians have not ceased. “They have accused [International NGOs] of ‘stealing’ the Oslo money,” said one aid official. “This is a consistent part of the rhetoric now.”
Related:
UN discusses forming joint aid committee with SPLM-Juba faction
Factbox: Humanitarian funding in South Sudan
Two thirds of S. Sudan’s budget for salaries and security
This article is part of an exclusive Radio Tamazuj series documenting harassment and violence against aid workers in South Sudan. If you have information on harassment of humanitarians or restrictions on aid, please contact Radio Tamazuj here.