Local employees at the South Sudanese Embassy in Addis Ababa say they have gone years without consistent pay, leaving dozens of workers and their families in severe financial distress despite longstanding diplomatic ties between Ethiopia and South Sudan.
At least 20 staff members, including cleaners, security guards, gardeners, and administrative workers, report prolonged salary suspensions that have worsened significantly over the past two to three years. Many say the issue stretches back nearly a decade, but has now reached a critical point.
“The last salary we received was a single month’s payment in early February after waiting nine months,” one employee told Capital. “Since then, nothing has changed.”
Workers say the irregular payments have left them struggling to survive amid rising living costs and inflation in Ethiopia. Several report being forced to sell household belongings to cover basic expenses, while others face eviction due to unpaid rent.
“We are selling our furniture just to feed our families,” one employee said. “Our children have been pulled out of school because we cannot pay tuition.”
Previously, staff relied on small tips from visiting delegations to supplement their income, but they say even that coping mechanism has recently been prohibited. Fear of dismissal has also prevented collective action.
“If we protest or strike, we will be treated as if we resigned and lose our jobs,” another employee explained.
According to staff, embassy officials have repeatedly cited budget shortages or delayed fund disbursements as reasons for non-payment. However, the issue has escalated beyond the embassy level, drawing the attention of both countries’ foreign ministries.
Documents seen by Capital indicate that as early as 2023, employees had gone 10 to 11 months without pay. Correspondence from late 2024 confirms arrears had reached a full year.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) formally raised the issue in a letter dated August 1, 2024, urging the embassy to resolve the grievances of 19 affected employees. When no resolution followed by the requested August 27 deadline, embassy representatives were summoned for discussions with the MFA’s Directorate of Conciliation Affairs.
Internal embassy communications suggest the problem has long been known. In May 2021, South Sudan’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Natalina Edward Mou, wrote to her government requesting emergency payments and salary adjustments for staff.
In mid-August 2024, the embassy informed Ethiopian authorities it had paid four months of arrears. However, significant debts remained. By December 2024, the Ethiopian MFA issued another reminder, prompting the embassy to state it was issuing one month’s payment while promising to clear the remaining balance gradually.
Despite these intermittent payments, workers say the accumulated arrears—and the uncertainty—continue to take a heavy psychological toll.
Employees are now calling for immediate settlement of outstanding salaries, regular and timely payments going forward, and wage adjustments that reflect current exchange rates and the cost of living.
Efforts by Capital to obtain official responses from both the South Sudanese Embassy and the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs were unsuccessful. The publication states it will update the story should either party provide clarification.
