Juba denies embassies closure, says only reducing staff
March 15, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has dismissed as “rumours” media reports that the government had planned to close down some of its embassies and foreign missions across the world due to lack of money to operate them as the country faces deteriorating economic crisis.
‘The Republic of South Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has noted with a deep concern the rumours circulating around the world that the Country is temporarily planning to close down many of its embassies abroad,” partly reads a press statement issued on Tuesday, 15 March, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
“This is baseless, unfounded and unrealistic rumours. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is planning to reduce or downsize the staff in its embassies abroad. This does not mean that the embassies are being closed down,’ further reads the statement extended to Sudan Tribune.
The statement further blamed the economic crisis in the country for the forthcoming action to cut down the number of staff deployed to the South Sudan’s embassies around the world, but reassured that the decision will only affect the staff working in the embassies, but not the embassies.
“In conclusion the country is not closing its embassies but rather reducing the number of staff to cut down expenditures due to the economic crisis in the country,” the statement said.
On Monday, an official working for the foreign affairs ministry in Juba revealed to Sudan Tribune that the government suggested closing down at least 10 embassies due to the economic crisis.
He said the challenges faced by the South Sudan’s embassies include lack of money to rent embassy premises as well as lack of money to pay staff their salaries in addition to no-money for operations.
Landlords or landladies who rent their buildings to the South Sudan’s embassies in different countries also allegedly threatened to evict and sue the government in courts due to arrears of many months of rent not paid to the owners.
The world’s youngest East African nation, which got its independence from Sudan in July 2011, has about 24 embassies and missions in Africa, Middle East, Europe, Asia and America.
The situation now confirmed by the government to reduce expenditures through downsizing of officials in the embassies also comes amidst protests by government soldiers and civil servants in the national capital, Juba, and in different states of the country who claimed they have not been paid their salaries for a number of months.
South Sudan has faced economic deterioration mainly due to the two years of civil war between President Salva Kiir’s government and the armed opposition faction led by his former deputy, Riek Machar.
The war has resulted to significant reduction in oil production in the country. South Sudan solely depends on oil revenue for the government’s overall budget by over 98%, as its economy has not been diversified.
Other reasons for the lack of money include drop in global oil prices and corruption in the country.
The country’s only hope now, observers say, is to end the war and establish a transitional unity government to attract foreign aid and investments as well as implement the economic and other sector reforms as stipulated in the August 2015 peace agreement.
(ST)