South Sudan Restarts Salary Payments After Months of Arrears

On 20 August 2026, a ministerial committee ordered the finance ministry of South Sudan to restart paying civil servants and foreign missions after months of salary arrears. Some public workers are owed more than eight months of salary, with no date set for clearing the arrears. Tax collections have increased, and a general election is scheduled for 22 December 2026, which has contributed to the decision.

The Ministerial High-Level Committee on Economic Reform, chaired by Information Minister Ateny Wek Ateny, directed the Ministry of Finance and Planning to begin disbursing salaries and fund embassies abroad. However, the committee did not specify a completion date for the arrears. Some public-sector workers have gone two years without pay, while others claim eight months of unpaid salaries.

The closure of South Sudan's embassy in Nairobi on 11 August due to unpaid rent highlights the severity of the financial situation. South Sudan relies heavily on oil revenue, which is exported through a pipeline crossing Sudan, currently in the midst of a civil war. This infrastructure issue has resulted in significant lost export revenue.

Monetary management at the Bank of South Sudan has been unstable, with repeated changes in leadership, which may complicate matters for foreign lenders. The upcoming general election has been postponed five times and is a significant concern for South Sudan, as it would be the first since independence in 2011. The National Elections Commission has set the election date for 22 December 2026, but voter registration is expected to begin soon, and funding shortages and insecurity have raised concerns about the election's feasibility.