Kiir vows to address ‘lagging economic’ shortcomings as diplomats get salaries after 2-year delay

JUBA – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has promised that his government will find a permanent solution to the ongoing economic downtrend in the country that has seen diplomats and civil servants going unpaid for several months.

“The lagging economic difficulties responsible for this scale down celebration will not remain with us for a long time. We will work collectively to find a permanent solution that will address it once and for all,” Kiir said on Saturday.

The South Sudanese head of state was speaking at the state house after the country turned 11 years since gaining independence from neighboring Sudan following two decades of deadly conflict that has killed at least over two million people.

Kiir said he has started the process of addressing the economic difficulties and has directed the ministry of finance to pay the salaries of civil servants, while diplomats, who have gone unpaid for several months, have started receiving their salaries.

“We have already started this process. I have directed the Ministry of Finance and Planning to pay all the salary arrears owed to public servants, a task they are about to accomplish at the moment,” Kiir told the nation.

“The Ministry has also started the payment of salary arrears owed to our diplomatic missions and it will continue paying them until all our diplomats are paid their arrears,” he added.

UNPAID 2-YEAR SALARY

In March, the minister of finance and planning, Agak Achuil, told lawmakers during a parliamentary hearing that the government in Juba owes diplomats at least 24 months in salary arrears, but said efforts were being made to clear them in the near future.

“It was passed by the cabinet that a certain amount should be given to the ministry of foreign affairs such that they clear the salaries of foreign missions. I found this but now it is on my desk and we are working on it,” Achuil said.

“As soon as we get the money, we will clear all the arrears. Remember the arrears for foreign missions were 27 months and when I came in I paid them for three months and it came to 24 months,” the senior government official further said.