President Salva Kiir Mayardit directed the Ministry for Finance and Planning to clear all outstanding arrears of foreign missions and membership fees for both regional and international bodies.
“I directed that the ministry of foreign affairs should be provided with tools including funds to clear the accumulated rental and salary arrears in our diplomatic missions, as well as subscription fees to regional and international bodies,” Kiir said during the opening of the first session of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly in Juba on Monday.
He urged the ministry of foreign affairs to work closely with the African Union to lift sanctions and arms embargo imposed on the country by the U.N. Security Council since 2018.
“I am directing the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation to pursue our foreign policy goals, and these goals include but are not limited to asking for regional and international support for successful implementation of the R-ARCSS,” Kiir said.
The TNLA went on recess on December 15th 2022.
Over the years, the government has been struggling to maintain foreign missions due to a lack of funds.
In October 2021, the government approved 100 million U.S dollars to settle salary arrears of diplomatic staff serving in various foreign missions.
In 2015, South Sudan temporarily closed down most of its embassies over failure to pay rent and salaries of diplomats as the country’s economy deteriorated.
The country has about 24 embassies and missions in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and America.
