South Sudan parliament adjourns amid technical glitches

JUBA – South Sudan’s Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) was forced to abruptly adjourn its plenary session on Monday due to persistent technical difficulties with the audio system.

The decision to suspend proceedings came after members of parliament experienced significant challenges with microphones, rendering their speeches inaudible to colleagues and observers alike.

First Deputy Speaker Nathaniel Oyet Perino was compelled to adjourn the sitting until Tuesday morning in response to the growing frustration among lawmakers.

Oliver Mori Benjamin, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Information and Communication, attributed the disruption to technical failures within the audio system.

“There was a complete breakdown in sound transmission. None of the microphones in the chamber were functioning properly,” Mori told reporters following the adjourned session.

“This is a technical issue that our IT and sound technicians are working diligently to resolve,” he added.

The unexpected adjournment also prevented the assembly from recording the proceedings, as the faulty microphones rendered any audio capture impossible.

“The members endured the situation for a considerable period, hoping for a swift resolution. Unfortunately, the problem persisted,” Mori explained.

The TNLA had been scheduled to discuss the quarterly report of the Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism of 1999 during Monday’s plenary.

These agenda items will now be carried over to the rescheduled session on Tuesday.

Mori assured the public that the technical team was working tirelessly to rectify the audio issues and that the parliament would resume its regular activities as planned on the following day.