Juba orders sacking of Sudanese workers

South Sudan has ordered its public institutions, NGOs and businesses operating in the country to terminate employment of all Sudanese nationals.

The decision follows a May 26 circular issued by the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development to put the Sudanese employees in South Sudan on one-month notice, for having lost status following the independence of South Sudan on July 9, 2011.

Ms Hellen Achiro, the Undersecretary for Labour, said the positions must be declared vacant and re-advertised for South Sudanese to apply.

“It is a right of [South Sudanese] nationals to get those positions. There should be no anyway a Sudanese would occupy jobs for South Sudanese,” Ms Achiro said.

“For them to stay here, they must legalise their status. If they would like to be refugees for those from war zone, they should apply so that they are legalised as refugees … for those who want to do business, they have to reapply and register afresh so that South Sudanese become part of those companies,” she added.

Tens, if not hundreds, of Sudanese from the far north and eastern Sudan, Darfur and the warring states of Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states still hold their jobs as “nationals” despite the split of the country a year ago.

Agreement

The said Sudanese remained at large in UN agencies, foreign companies and local businesses without fresh work permits.

The Ministry of Telecommunication had been directed not to renew licences for Sudanese companies until they met conditions that included having South Sudanese partaking in the business, said Mr Sunday Moris, an official from the Labour ministry.

Among the companies affected is Sudani.

The Khartoum government dismissed South Sudanese from their jobs, both in public and private sector, immediately after the official results of the referendum in January 2011 confirmed the overwhelming vote for secession.

However, South Sudan held back such an action in anticipation that a deal could be struck with Sudan on citizenship.

So far, no agreement has been reached yet.