The Government of South Sudan has hiked the work permit fees for aid workers in the country, possibly in an effort to raise revenue.* Rates have risen from $100 for a foreign workers to $10,000 – a move that is likely to have serious and deadly affects in a country facing famine amid a civil war.

South Sudan has proven to be a difficult operating environment for a long period of time –

* Have tried to find a clear explanation for the hike and failed. If you find one, please email contact@safetravelsmagazine.com.

From Foreign Policy –

Famine-Wracked South Sudan Now Wants to Charge Aid Workers For Help

Officials in Juba say it’s a way for well-off Western and international aid organizations to shore up the cash-starved government. But aid organizations say the unprecedented move will choke off access to those in dire need of aid — and could have deadly consequences.

Juba plans to charge $10,000 for foreign “professionals” working in the country, $2,000 for “blue collar” workers, and $1,000 for “casual workers,” the labor ministry said in a statement. Work permits for each foreign aid worker were $100 before the massive hike.

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From NPR –

South Sudan Will Now Charge $10,000 For An Aid Worker Permit. Why?

It’s unclear whether the fee would apply only to newcomers or to those already there as well. Whatever the case, the amount is “absolutely unheard of globally,” said Julien Schopp, director for Humanitarian Practice at InterAction, an alliance of 180 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working around the world. “No organization can afford this, and if NGOs go to their institutional donors to request that extra money, I’m pretty sure that [the donors] will be reluctant to pay this because they will see this to some extent as ransom.” With the South Sudan experiencing a poor economy, the government is seeking revenue “wherever it can find it,” he says.

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Full caption for photo: Ganyiel, Unity State, South Sudan, April 21 2014 – Rebecca Nyaknme fled the fighting in Bentiu together with her family. Only her and two children arrived after they were separated from the husband and the other two children. Rebbecca and the two children live in simple straw huts on the outskirts of Ganyiel. Having lost everything they own, they arrived in Ganyiel empty-handed. Their survival relies on foreign aid, and without emergency food they will starve.

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