The Opposition political party, SPLM-DC says more than 5,000 civil servants in Upper Nile State have not received their salaries for the month of April.

It says they are from Makal, Fashoda and Panyikang Counties.

Paulino Akoc, Chairperson of the SPLM-DC in the state, told Eye Radio that the state government has released the money.

“Those people did not receive their salaries for the month of April although the government of the state transferred the money, the whole salaries of the state, to Meluth County before the last crisis in Upper Nile,” Mr Akoc said.

The state government says there was no intention to deny the civil servants in the three counties their salaries.

The State Minister of Information, Peter Hoth, told Eye Radio that the ministry of finance is still verifying the names of the employees in these areas.

“After the fighting erupted in Malakal, the civilians fled and some of them crossed to White Nile and others fled to neighboring Sudan and others to neighboring countries. So the ministry of finance and employees are taking time to get all the names and to verify who the right person is,” he said.

However, Mr Akoc says the civil servants received their salaries for April.

It is not clear how the state government paid them without verification.