![South Sudan deputy foreign minister Ramadan Goc. [Photo courtesy]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/64feca0105ebd.jpg?resize=880%2C386&ssl=1)
Abdallah who was speaking before the country’s transitional parliament said his ministry will “downsize” staffing levels, prioritizing the settlement of outstanding salary arrears before implementing the cuts.
“We have plans, but we can’t implement it unless these people are paid,” Abdallah said. “Let the money of these people be paid and then we can recall them to the country.”
He explained the downsizing would leave most embassies with a skeleton staff – one ambassador and two diplomats.
Abdallah acknowledged significant delays in rent and salary payments, with embassy staff accruing arrears since 2019.
A South Sudanese diplomat was recently filmed shedding tears after he was kicked-out of his Rome for failure to pay rent in France.
“Our ambassadors and all our staff in the missions, they were only paid three months a year, so they have arrears of nine months of 2019 not been paid until today,” he said.
Abdallah detailed further unpaid arrears for 2020 and 2022, highlighting the chronic nature of the financial problems.
His comments follow and announcement by the ministry of finance that it was suspending salary payments to civil servants until the government is able to.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence in 2011.
Despite its vast oil reserves, the country has been grappling with economic hardship and political instability, including a civil war that erupted in 2013.
The ministry’s website lists 32 diplomatic missions abroad, including 30 embassies, a permanent mission in New York, and a consulate in Dubai.
This represents a significant footprint for a nation facing such severe financial constraints.
