Handcuffs - Courtesy

Police in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State said on Saturday that seven Secondary School teachers are in detention after being arrested during a protest to demand their salaries.

Police Commissioner Major General Philip Madut Tong said the teachers were detained after stoning police officers on duty.

General Madut said the staff had refused to receive their salaries after complaining that part of it had been chopped by the state Ministry of Finance.

He says the 7 teachers were accused of disrupting public disorder and injuring a police officer.

“The money was supposed to be returned and disbursed, but the teachers refused and insisted on receiving the whole salary. They wanted to fight with the Director of Finance,” said Madut.

“So, the Finance Ministry officials came to us and asked us to tell them to leave, and that we would guard the money so that they could come tomorrow to pay the salaries.”

“But they refused to leave, and they caused a riot and threw stones at the police forces and injured one of the police soldiers. Seven teachers were arrested, and currently, the situation is calm.”

Meanwhile, one of the teachers, who preferred to have his identity concealed on safety grounds, alleged that national security officers detained 13 Secondary School teachers.

He narrated that the issue started when the teachers protested a request by the state Ministry of Finance to distribute the teachers’ salaries.

“Yesterday, the first round of the money was given to the director of finance in the Ministry of Education in the state. After some hours, some individuals from the state ministry of finance ordered to get the money,” said the teacher.

“Some of the teachers rejected the order saying their money couldn’t be taken by the Ministry of Finance because we are separate, and we are an independent Ministry.”

“After that, the national security force came and took the teachers including the director of Finance and the other two directors and other 7 teachers who were in the field.”

Early this month, the teachers accused the state Ministry of Finance of deducting their salaries.