Ministry of Foreign Affair rescind decision to fire diplomats

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has reinstated 40 of its diplomats who were sacked three years ago.

The diplomats were dismissed for neglect of duty and absenteeism without official approval from the ministry in 2019 following repeated unfruitful calls to turn up for duty.

After failing to respond to the 45-day ultimatum, they were sacked in a public circular dated May 15, 2019.

The reasons for their absenteeism and failure to heed the calls of the ministry remain unknown to date.

According to another public circular dated June 9, 2022, of which The City Review obtained a copy, the officials have now been forgiven and offered a second chance to take up their jobs at the ministry.

However, this time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given them another 45 days to express interest in reinstatement.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation would like to inform the below-listed diplomats who were dismissed from the ministry on May 13th, 2019 through a public circular that the ministry has resolved to review the conditions which led to the dismissal case by case,” partly reads the circular.

It continued, “Therefore, the ministry requests those interested in returning to the service of the ministry to submit appeals for reinstatement to the Director of Administration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation before July 15th, 2022.”

According to the South Sudan Diplomatic and Consular Act, 2011, 45 days of absenteeism from duty without permission is considered a resignation, and the diplomat in question shall be ordered to surrender to the ministry his or her diplomatic passport, including that of their spouses.

This year, the government recruited more than 50 diplomats, including administrative attaches, to fill the vacancies that have been there for more than two years.