South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) on Wednesday summoned five ministers to provide answers over hunger and the prevailing economic crisis in the country.
Those summoned include, Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater, minister of finance, Puot Kang Chol, minister of petroleum, Josephine Joseph Lagu, the minister of agriculture and food security, and Joseph Moum Majak, minister of trade and industry and Martin Abucha, minister of mining.
Rt. Hon. Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, the First Deputy Speaker said they served the summons to the ministers on August 6, 2024 requesting them to appear before the house on August 14 to answer queries on the prevailing hunger situation and the bad economic situation across the country.
“We have reactivated the summons, we have written yesterday (Tuesday) to the minister of finance, petroleum, mining, agriculture and livestock, trade and industry,” Oyet said during plenary sitting in Juba.
Oyet said the summoned ministers are expected to provide the policy responses of their respective ministries on how to combat hunger and dire economic situation.
“The minister of finance and planning, minister of petroleum, minister of mining, trade and industry, and agriculture are expected to provide a comprehensive bailout plan to alleviate the dire economic crisis in the country,” he said.
At least 30 people have been confirmed dead due to starvation in the last two months in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area in South Sudan near the border with Ethiopia.
International charity Oxfam announced Monday that about 12 people died of starvation early this month in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
Manenji Mangundu, Oxfam country director in South Sudan, said in a statement issued in Juba that several children are severely malnourished because of going for days without anything to eat.
Civilians have been forced to survive on wild vegetables and desert dates.
According to Mangundu, more than 7 million people are already facing extreme hunger, including nearly 79,000 people facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity, which is more than double that of last year.
