Peace talk politicians kicked out of hotels over $50m unpaid bill
Hundreds of South Sudanese officials have lived in luxurious establishments for years during failed negotiations
Hundreds of politicians and officials are being kicked out of hotels in South Sudan after running up massive bills while more than half of the country’s population depends on humanitarian aid.
Up to 300 representatives who have “lived in luxury” in Juba during peace talks are being ejected after “warnings to the government about mounting debts” totalling around $50m (£36.4m) “went ignored”, reports The Times.
Kot Maker, manager of the capital’s luxurious Royal Palace Hotel, told the paper how he had shut off power and water in a bid to force out guests who had lived there for three years without settling their accounts.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Maker said: “We have no gun. We have to pursue them, we have to talk to them politely, we have to convince them to leave peacefully, because if they refuse we have to call the police in.”
The ejected guests see things very differently. One described the hotel managers’ behaviour as “inhumane”, telling Voice of America: “We feel so bad that we have been thrown out at the end and nobody is taking care of us from now on.”
The row comes less than two months after humanitarian groups warned that South Sudan was facing a “catastrophic” conflict-fuelled famine. In a joint statement, UN agencies including the World Food Programme said that 6.5 million people were facing severe food insecurity, with that total projected to increase to 7.24 million by July - equivalent to more than 60% of the population.
As The Times reports, “South Sudan’s 11 million people have barely known peace since the country won independence from Sudan a decade ago”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Corruption and mismanagement have triggered an economic crisis in the oil-rich state, while a five-year battle for power has caused about 400,000 deaths and displaced millions.
Members of the ruling party, a “string of opposition groups” and army generals have been “wrangling” at peace talks in Juba for years in a bid to find a resolution, The Australian says.
Although President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riek Machar, his former deputy-turned-bitter enemy, have reached a dozen peace agreements, none has delivered a permanent end to the fighting.
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published