The approval of South Sudan's 2023-2024 national budget has come to a halt after opposition MPs walked out of the session in the capital, Juba, over a proposed salary increase for civil servants.
MPs from the main opposition political party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition of First Vice President, Riek Machar, want a 600% salary increment for civil servants in order to meet the high cost of living.
The Minister of Finance and Planning, Bak Barnaba Chol, insisted that the MPs should pass the budget with a proposed 400% increment.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO, says failure to pass the national budget will have negative implications on the political transition process the country is undergoing.