Hussein Maar Nyuot, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs/June 1, 2016. Photo: Koang Pal/Eye Radio

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs has called on Non-Governmental Organizations to ensure a balance by employing South Sudanese from all ethnic backgrounds.

Hussein Maar Nyuot said this will ensure fairness and avoid conflicts between people from various tribes.

“Don’t bring them from one community and then you say that we are doing balance. It is not good, to be honest, and this is where you meet problems because you get these problems,” Maar said.

He said also employing the local people in an area will enable the NGOs to operate without disruption.

“If now you are working in Jonglei and for some reasons, you want to evacuate some people and you don’t have people from Jonglei. All are from Northern Upper Nile who is working Jonglei and you evacuate them, then your work is death in Jonglei,” he said.

Mr. Maar also said there should be gender balance in employment.

“Let us balance our employment; our opportunities for jobs. So if you want to employ people, you want to take ten to Upper Nile today, all the communities of Upper Nile and particularly women and young girls, let them get there. And this is empowerment,” said Maar.

Mr. Maar was speaking during the launching of the strategic plan for a local organization, Smile Again Africa Development Organization.