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S. Sudan Foreign Aid Workers Limited amid Humanitarian Crisis

S. Sudan Foreign Aid Workers Limited amid Humanitarian Crisis
folder_openSudan access_time8 years ago
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South Sudan lawmakers passed a controversial bill restricting numbers of foreign aid workers, sparking fears it will hinder efforts to help millions in need in the war-torn young nation.

S. Sudan Foreign Aid Workers Limited amid Humanitarian Crisis

The Non-Governmental Organizations bill, passed by parliament on Wednesday, means no more than a fifth of aid workers can be from abroad, a level many aid workers believe is simply not viable.

Relatively, aid agencies must "ensure that not less than 80 percent of the employees are South Sudanese nationals at all managerial, middle and junior levels," the bill read. However, it must still be signed by the president to pass into law.

They said there was also concern at a clause making the issuing of a "false statement" about the bill punishable by up to three years in prison, as well as a possible more than $2,000 fine.

Aid agencies already employ large numbers of South Sudanese, often far higher than the 80 percent level now required, but not at senior levels or among technical specialists.

Civil war began in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines.

Tens of thousands died in two years of war, more than 2.3 million people were driven from their homes and 3.9 million South Sudanese are facing severe food shortages.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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