By William Madouk
As South Sudan waved bye-bye to 2024, the nation has made a record in history as the first to go an entire year without paying civil servants and organized forces.
This record situation has put many into misery. As the year draws to a close, reflections on a year filled with hardship have become normal among the public.
Undoubtedly, 2024 has been a difficult year for many South Sudanese. As 2025 draws near, citizens, like people everywhere, are reflecting on the past year and hoping for a brighter future, despite their country’s harsh economic conditions.
This year has presented numerous challenges, including hyperinflation, rising commodity prices, and, despite relative calm, several states have reported high rates of conflict and intercommunal violence.
Speaking off the record to the No. 1 Citizen newspaper, several civil servants shared that they continue to report to work out of love for their country and a desire for change. They urged the government to make a concerted effort to pay their outstanding salaries as soon as possible.
“We work because we love our country. If we stop working, who will take over for us? All we ask is that the South Sudanese government works twice as hard to pay salaries on time,” they pleaded.
Peter Lam Both, the Secretary-General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), stated in an interview with Eye Radio that 2025 will be a year of hope for South Sudan.
“I want them to know that we are working very hard to ensure that they receive their salaries. This year, 2025, might be a different year for our people,” Lam was quoted as saying.
He revealed that the government is intensifying efforts to restore oil production and improve tax collection to boost the economy.
“We are working very hard to resume oil operations and ensure appropriate tax collection so that people can earn money to fulfill government obligations,” he added.
He praised civil servants as hardworking, resilient nationalists for spending an entire year without pay.
“I have witnessed something in our people that I have never seen in anyone else in the world. I want to tell the South Sudanese that they are true heroes of our liberation because they wake up in the morning, come to work, and return home with nothing,” he said.
During a recent Governors’ Forum, Lakes State Governor Rin Tueny expressed deep concern over the ongoing delays in salary payments for the state’s 13,000 workforce.
Rin questioned how he could justify these persistent delays to civil servants, many of whom depend solely on their government salaries for their families’ survival.
“The delay in salaries for civil servants and organized forces continues to affect morale, work performance, and increase crime. The issue of salary is a serious matter,” he stated.
“We can no longer call it a delay; it simply does not exist at all. In Lakes State, we have 13,980 workers, and we have been promising them every month to be patient—it’s been one year now.”
Governor Rin emphasized that the South Sudanese are the most resilient people on Earth, having endured an entire year without receiving salaries.
“Where are we going? With salaries, people can buy services. I find it hard to describe our people because they are so resilient—one year without pay. When I sit alone as a leader, how do I feel?” he inquired.
According to a new report released in December 2024, more than 70 percent of South Sudan’s population currently lives below the poverty line.
The report, titled “South Sudan Poverty and Equity Assessment,” was released in Juba by the World Bank Group and the South Sudan National Bureau of Statistics.
It indicates that poverty has become endemic in the world’s youngest country following a decade of economic decline.
A 2022 economic survey revealed that 76 percent of South Sudan’s population lives below the annual poverty line of 358,724 South Sudan Pounds (SSP) per person.
Furthermore, the Sudanese civil war, which began in April 2023, has adversely affected the South Sudanese economy, disrupting the flow of oil, the country’s main source of income.
Some civil servants have not received their salaries since November 2023.