SSPDF veterans wounded in action march in a parade to mark the first anniversary of South Sudan's independence (Picture: Giulio Petrocco/AFP/Getty Images)

The ministers of Defense and Finance have agreed to provide medical service to war-wounded heroes after they previously stormed the finance ministry over unpaid medical allowances.

Defense Minister Chol Thon Balok and Finance Minister Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol met in Juba on Friday to discuss the issue of recurrent grievances from the war veterans.

The war-wounded heroes, a group of physically challenged former combatants have previously stormed the Ministry of Finance demanding the expeditious payment of their medical allowances.

Meanwhile, General Thon said he has agreed with Dr. Bak to provide medical service by building a hospital for the veterans and equipping existing Giada Military Hospital.

“In the meeting, we came up with some solutions. Some of them we will implement in the near future, and others will be implemented later,” Thon said.

“Among the solutions is developing a hospital to provide quality treatment for them, their families, and citizens, as well as providing treatment and medicines as well as the equipment, so I ask them to implement the instructions and not storm the Ministry of Finance again.”

Thon calls on his army comrades not to storm the Ministry of Finance again in the name of medical allowances but to channel their complaints to Bilpam.

The defense minister said however much they deserve attention for their contribution to the country, it’s unacceptable for the war-wounded heroes to invade the finance ministry and disrupt government duties.

“They deserve attention because they have served this country a lot. We have been in a meeting with the Ministry of Finance to solve the problem of war-wounded people going to the Ministry of Finance instead of the Ministry of Defense to demand their medical benefits.”

“It is unacceptable for them to go to the Ministry of Finance and cause the work to stop, but they have the right to demand their rights at the Ministry of Defense.”

On his part, the minister of finance Dr Bak Barnaba Chol said his institution has been providing medical treatment for the war veterans.

“The wounded heroes, for the last two years, have been taken care of by the ministry of finance by providing resources to transfer them for the foreign countries for treatment and better management for their cases.”

In March 2023, scores of the SSPDF soldiers who were injured in battles, closed ranks and charged at the finance ministry headquarters in Juba to demand the expeditious payment of their medical allowances.

Agok Makur Kur, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, said that the soldiers stormed the ministry demanding their medical allowances amounting to 10 million US dollars.

According to Makur, it was not the first time the soldiers have stormed the finance ministry for their dues.