![South Sudan's newly-appointed minister of foreign affairs Mayiik Ayii Deng speaking during his swearing in ceremony at the state-house J1. [Photo by presidency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/241717240_342148770926807_946769017305605107_n.jpg?quality=89&ssl=1)
Speaking to reporters in Juba on Friday following a weekly cabinet meeting, South Sudan’s minister of information and government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth announced that the country has been suspended from the regional bloc over non-payment of its annual membership arrears.
Makuei said the ministry of foreign affairs has been directed by the cabinet meeting to meet the ministry of finance to discuss how the government can pay its membership arrears in the regional organization after the newly-appointed minister of foreign affairs appealed for government intervention.
“We have exactly been suspended from IGAD simply because we have not paid our dues and there are so many vacancies about 14 of them which are supposed to be our positions. We are unable to occupy them simply because we have not paid our dues for long,” he said.
“There was a resolution passed about three weeks ago directing the all the arrears of Foreign Affairs and all our dues in all organizations should be paid by the Ministry of Finance,” the senior government official added.
But in a statement, the ministry of foreign affairs said the country’s membership has not been terminated, and only its activities have been suspended and has been barred from exercising its rights of voting.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation would like to clarify a statement attributed to National Minister of Information regarding suspension of the Republic of South Sudan from IGAD,” the foreign ministry statement seen by Sudans Post reads in part.
“Indeed the Republic of South Sudan has been barred from exercising its VOTING rights and other benefits at IGAD owing to non-payment of its annual membership contributions,” it adds.
“This, however; doesn’t mean suspension of membership from IGAD and the Ministry would, therefore, like to reassure the public that our country remains a full member of IGAD,” the statement concluded.
