JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudanese judges ended a five-month strike without a pay deal on Thursday, saying they had to clear a massive backlog of cases.
President Salva Kiir, who in July sacked several striking judges, has told union representatives he would resolve their demands in the near future, Arop Malueth of the Judges and Justice Union said.
The strike was over salaries that the judges say have been rendered practically worthless by hyperinflation in a country in civil war since 2013.
Courts already faced a huge backlog as the nation of 12 million people only had 274 judges on the payroll in the last government budget. Some have since resigned, some are off sick and others are on leave, the union said.
“This strike has gone for five months but nothing has been done by the authorities and our citizens have been suffering every day because the courts are closed,” Malueth told Reuters.
The union’s general assembly agreed on Wednesday to return to work on Sept. 11.
War has brought famine and forced more than a quarter of South Sudan’s population to flee their homes, creating Africa’s biggest refugee crisis since the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Reporting by Denis Dumo; Editing by George Obulutsa and Robin Pomeroy
Newer articles:
- South Sudanese Woman Shows Power of Knowledge - 09/09/2017 21:05
- Red Cross shocked by driver's killing in South Sudan - 09/09/2017 04:36
- South Sudan's civil war without end leaves all sides weary - 09/09/2017 03:34
- Competing efforts to end South Sudan's war prolong conflict: U.N. panel - 08/09/2017 10:11
- As South Sudan plans 2018 elections, UN expresses concern - 08/09/2017 02:27
Older news items
- South Sudan president sacks state-owned oil company boss - 07/09/2017 04:17
- As US weighs lifting Sudan sanctions, South Sudan a concern - 07/09/2017 04:08
- South Sudan asks US to reconsider sanctions on top officials - 07/09/2017 03:41
- Africa Live: South Sudan dismisses new US sanctions - 07/09/2017 02:08
- South Sudan’s malaria toll highlights disease burden in war-torn nation - 06/09/2017 22:58
Latest news items (all categories):
- Hope for Christmas gift as South Sudan talks return to Nairobi - 05/12/2024 10:26
- Chinese medical team brings relief to South Sudan patients - 05/12/2024 10:18
- Sudanese bishop speaks about being brutalized by soldiers - 05/12/2024 10:08
- President Biden: Absent Principles - No Honoring Words - Broken Promises - 05/12/2024 09:55
- South Sudan’s ‘Game Of Thrones’ Continues – Analysis - 01/12/2024 17:47
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan’s lifts Covid-19 restrictions, travelers to present vaccination cards - 31/10/2022 05:28
- Kit-Gwang military advance team arrives in Juba - 01/02/2022 14:42
- South Sudan’s FM briefs Ethiopian PM about recent talks with Khartoum - 07/07/2013 00:04
- South Sudan’s first female pilot takes the captain’s seat at Delta Air Lines - 06/02/2018 09:22
- South Sudan: A Return to Civil War in South Sudan? - 02/10/2016 12:25
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 58415 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22215 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21357 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 18882 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 17994 times