Five Juba hotels threaten to expel SPLM-IO, SSOA  members over unpaid SSP7 million bill

JUBA – At least five hotels in South Sudan’s capital Juba are threatening to expel over 300 opposition members accommodated by the National Transitional Committee (NTC) over unpaid SS7 million bills which has been pending for almost two years, according to a letter extended to Sudans Post.

Currently, over 300 opposition members from the main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, and South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), are living in expensive hotels  in the capital Juba.

The hotels which wrote the letter include Juba Crown, Red Ocean, Royal, Lamac, Word Focus International, and Referendum Hotels.

The delegates have been in the hotels since opposition groups decided to return to Juba following the signing of the revitalized peace agreement in September 2018 and the then National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC) failed to pay all the hotel bills.

In a letter directed to the NTC on Sunday, the five hotels said they will cease to offer their service and expel the opposition delegates if the government fail to pay the SSP7 million bill by November 10.

“It is our belief that your guest are enjoying our services during their stay with us. However, your esteemed office did not settle the bills for the accommodation of your guests although we requested to your esteemed office on individual basis. We also would like to recall the meetings and discussions we had in your office and informed you of the financial situations in each hotel as a result of the unpaid bills,” the letter reads in part.

“Our bills have never been fully covered from day one as every payments that was done as always a little amount of what we suppose to get as a result we have always been facing different financial problems to nun the business smoothly,” it adds.

The letter further said that the “hotels are forced to write this letter to your office along with the invoices of each hotel to be settled until the 10 of November 2020. We strongly request your esteemed office to put into account the situation we are in and settle the total of the invoices we are submitting now to your office 10th of November 2020.

“If payments aren’t fully settled within the mentioned time period, the management of each hotel can’t operate anymore on liability therefore will be forced to cease all the services given to your guests.

“Please be informed that ceasing the services is not in our best interest, we reached a stage that we are unable to pay salary, settle suppliers’ bills, and manage the day to day operational costs and possible close down all the rooms.”