Unpaid civil servants say Christmas and New Year celebrations are now only for NGO workers.

Some members of the government workforce have expressed that they did not celebrate Christmas, stating that the celebration is now meant for salary earners at non-governmental organizations.

Speaking to the Aweil News Agency, Deng Chol, one of the civil servants, expressed that since the festive season began, he has not bought anything for his children, adding that they have not been paid. He said that on the 23rd of December, he visited the custom market only to find that most people buying clothes were from families supported by NGO funds.

“As civil servants and organized forces, we are not being paid, while families benefiting from NGOs are buying clothes for their children and celebrating,” Chol said. He called on the government to pay salaries in order to rescue the situation.

On her part, Rhoda Abila, a resident of Munuk who worked at the Ministries, reiterated that the Christmas preparation and celebration were left to those working for the UN and NGOs. “When you see many people in the market, those are people benefiting from the UN and NGOs. Most of us did not buy clothes for our children; we are focused on buying food. We need our government to clear our salaries,” Abila said.

He expressed that most families use their old clothes to attend church masses.