Sudanese army says SPLA soldiers are paid without delay

Dec 16, 2006 (KHARTOUM) – Irritated by reports saying that SPLA demonstrations in Juba was provoked by pay arrears, the Sudanese army today said that salary of SPLA soldiers in joint units are cashed without delay regularly

SPLA soldiers look at a copy of the comprehensive peace agreement, before their meeting in Rumbek, on Sunday, January 23, 2005.

The Sudan Armed Forces spokesperson, in a statement issued Saturday, said that full salaries have been paid to the soldiers of the SPLA for last November, adding that these salaries were received by the special technical committee.

He said that all documents on the cashing of these salaries are existing.

He said that the salaries for December were not yet cashed to any employee in the state because the month was not ended, adding that arrangements to cash the salaries for December before the coming Christmas.

The statement explained that the SPLA has paid incentives of six months to its men who were not absorbed in the Joint Forces, a matter which led to murmur of the troops working under the umbrella of the Joint Forces.

The Armed Forces spokesman said that the SPLA has received their ration of consumer materials, including sugar and sorghum, for the period till the end of the current year.

The statement further said that the proper mechanisms for handling any issue on implementation of the item of the security arrangement are the Command of the Joint Integrated Units, the Higher Committee for the Ceasefire, the Joint Committee for the Armed Groups.

The Armed Forces spokesman has renewed the Armed Forces commitment to go ahead implementing all the security arrangements and guaranteeing the rights which are included in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

SPLA spokesperson Major-General Kuol Deng Kuol and a UN official in Juba told reporters that the SPLA soldiers of the JIU protested Friday on the streets of Juba because they did not receive the salary for the month of November.

The government of Southern Sudan said today that the demonstration was organized by the SPLA-JIU soldiers who demand more money. They claimed the arrears paid to the SPLA soldiers for six months while they received this money on time from the Sudanese army.

(ST)