Twelve government officials who were locked into their hotel rooms last week due to lack of payment are being relocated to a new place.
This is according to Major-General David Nyang – a representative of South Sudan Opposition Alliance or SSOA to the monitoring body CTSAM-VM.
Last week, 9 hotels in Juba threatened to evict delegates if the National Transitional Committee failed to pay over 10 million US dollars accumulated bills.
Some companies also said they delivered food and non-food consignments to soldiers at the cantonment areas, but have not been paid.
In a letter addressed to the chairperson of National Transitional Committee, Tut Gatluak, the property managers said they have been accommodating over 300 officials representing the parties to the peace agreement.
The officials comprise of ministers, members of parliaments, and military generals of various peace parties.
Most of the peace delegates were preparing to leave the apartment to their workplaces when an officer from Tiger division was allegedly told by the hotel manager to lock the rooms and leave with the key.
The management of the apartment has given the officials until January 14th to pay the accommodation bills or be locked out.
The representative of the Opposition Alliance said the National Transitional Committee is responding to the demands of the hotel owners.
“We had a meeting about the same this morning and the NTC is trying to see how we can be relocated to other premises,” General David Nyang told Eye Radio on Wednesday afternoon.
“I think they will take care of the hotel business. We don’t know when and where, but actually our last day is tomorrow at 12 o’clock on these particular premises.”
There are hundreds of delegates representing the SPLM-IO, South Sudan Opposition Alliance, Former Detainees, and Other Political Parties being accommodated by the government.
The public and civil society groups have accused the delegates of unnecessarily spending public funds on luxury, their bodyguards, family members, and friends, at the expense of delivering services.
Last week, a member of parliament asked the peace delegates living in hotels since 2019 to leave and go to their homes.
The legislator said the 10 million US dollars owed by the government can be used for providing essential services to the citizens.