South Sudan’s Vice President, Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, while visiting Torit, Eastern Equatoria State for the first time since her appointment, said the Monyiemiji complaints about unjust employment have become a national issue since the state has failed to resolve it.

On Monday, VP Nyandeng visited Torit to listen to and understand the grievances of the Monyiemiji. 

“Don’t pull your state in the mud. Your state is very great, you are good people, and you are people of principles. People of Eastern Equatoria State in totality do not speak anyhow that is why I am here to come and hear the Monyiemiji issue and what caused the problem,” VP Nyandeng said. “I want to hear it, which is why I am here. We in the national government had not taken it as a national problem, we left it to you or the governor. That it is a state problem, but it is not a state problem, it is a national problem and that is why the president quickly said that Madam Rebecca you go to Eastern Equatoria. That is why I am here because this is a national issue, not an NGO issue.” 

She directed the Monyiemiji to send a representative to her office in Juba for further discussions on how to address their demands.

Monyiemiji accused the United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Organizations (OCHA) of being responsible for fomenting the violence against aid workers in the country.

Buluk Philip who represents the Monyiemiji blames UNOCHA for trying to circumvent and sabotage the jobs assessment exercise by writing a letter to all NGOs and UN agencies informing them not to provide any file to the state government constituted committee.

“The leadership of the state government established a committee to look into the claims pointed out by Monyiemiji. The constituted committee recommended assessment among other items to address the issue raised by Monyiemiji. The government assessment committee believed that the assessment results will prove Monyiemiji right or wrong. The assessment final report will provide a general solution to address the issue of employment based on tribal maneuvering causing domination in UN Agencies and NGOs,” Buluk said. 

He added: “UNOCHA authorized all NGOs and UN agencies not to cooperate with the state government constituted committee. We have concluded that the UNOCHA is responsible for the violence and targeted attacks of humanitarian workers across the country due to their inciting and provocative statements. Besides, UNOCHA wrote and circulated information to all NGOs not to provide any file to the Committee established by the Government.”

The acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mathew Hollingworth, said violence is never a solution to any problem and called for dialogue in case there are concerns.

“When you blame UNOCHA, you blame me. That is me. Because I represent UNOCHA, I represent all other UN agencies, I represent all other INGOs, and I represent other NGOs. We stand ready to do. But I would ask that the enthusiasm, the vigor, the energy, the dynamism, the education of the youth, be put to those roles to work with us to put those plans together. But please, violence and intimidation is not the way to begin a dialogue,” Hollingworth said.

Governor Louis Lobong Lojore revealed that he had received a letter from the national government informing him to stop the assessment but he had requested to proceed with the exercise to justify Monyiemiji claims.

“Your Excellency, I did receive the letter from the national ministry of labor requesting me to suspend the assessment because if we do that, every single state in South Sudan would also want to do the same and that would affect the operation of the UN agencies in South Sudan. I requested him only to allow me to do it to prove the claims of the Monyiemiji,” Lobong said.

In April, the Monyiemiji petitioned the state government to address what they referred to as unjust employment practices by the United Nations and NGOs.