By William Madouk
Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Marial Dongrin has announced that civil servants will start receiving their overdue salaries.
Mr. Dongrin stated that the payment for civil servants’ salaries began yesterday, Thursday.
“While we are been having challenges and delays in the releasing of the salaries – I would like to announce that, the government is releasing salaries starting today (Thursday),” said Dongrin.
Although the minister did not specify how many months they were paying, civil servants and organized forces have gone for over 11 months without payments.
Recently, the country experienced a spring of strikes from public universities over salary delays. Staff members voiced their discontent over unpaid salaries stretching back 11 months, flight tickets that had not been honoured since 2019, and unpaid medical allowances.
“We commit to regularly release salaries every month,” he added during the signing of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Regulation.
“We are been trying our best to ensure that the little we have is utilized to pay the public sector employees to keep the government running and very soon we will be out of a wood,” he noted.
This development comes days after the government announced the completion of repairing the damaged oil pipeline, enabling the transportation of South Sudan’s crude oil to the global market.
The decline in oil prices had adverse effects on the economy of Africa’s youngest nation.
This development came just a day after the Sudanese government fixed the spoilage oil pipeline to allow the transit of South Sudan crude oil to the world market.
However, the hating of oil had negative repercussions on the economy of Africa’s youngest nation.
A government delegation to Port Sudan confirmed that critical repairs to oil facilities have been completed, clearing the path for the resumption of production and exploration.
The head of the delegation, Dr. Chol Deng Thon, who is also the Undersecretary in the Ministry of Petroleum said the oil facilities are now in good condition following repairs, paving the way for the imminent resumption of production and exploration.
“All the preparations are going well. We have been briefed by the operating company and the station number is ready, on the technical side based on the report we have received we can confirm that the pipeline is ready for the resumption to happen,” he added.
The main pipeline carrying oil from South Sudan through Sudan for export was halted in February because of damage stemming from a war between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces.
Analysts say the damage is leading to serious environmental contamination and that the stoppage has contributed to higher food prices in Sudan, where millions face extreme hunger.
South Sudan currently produces nearly 200, 000 barrels per day which it exports through the Sudanese port following the 2012 deal that allowed the Sudanese government to receive $25 per barrel of crude oil.