South Sudan CEPO urges salary payments after 138bn pounds raised
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Eye Radio
CEPO is asking South Sudan’s government to use some of the 138 billion South Sudanese pounds collected in 15 days to pay salary arrears owed to civil servants and military personnel. Its director, Edmond Yakani, is also calling for funding for hospitals, education and agriculture, according to Eye Radio.
The South Sudan Revenue Authority collected 138 billion South Sudanese pounds in domestic taxes during the first 15 days of October. Edmond Yakani, executive director of CEPO, a civil society organisation, is calling on the caretaker government to prioritise using the revenue to pay civil servants’ salary arrears and soldiers’ wages, according to Eye Radio.
Edmond Yakani also called for increased spending on health and education. He cited Tambura Hospital, where beds reportedly lack mattresses and sheets, as well as other facilities facing shortages of essential medicines. He also called for local authorities to receive support for agriculture.
The activist called for accountability over how the funds are used and questioned why South Sudanese pounds remain scarce in commercial banks despite the announced revenue. He also called for public spending to support preparations for the general elections scheduled for December 2026. The revenue figure was announced on Tuesday evening in Juba by Angelo Aguot, acting commissioner for domestic tax revenue, during a visit by Rizig Dominic Samuel, commissioner general of the South Sudan Revenue Authority.
The call follows the publication on 9 October of an estimate of up to 2,100 billion pounds in unpaid public-sector salaries. It also comes ahead of the South Sudanese elections, scheduled for December 2026.
