By AFPMore by this AuthorJUBA,South Sudan said Thursday it had sacked 40 overseas diplomats for not showing up for work, some of them for years. Those listed have been removed from the payroll and formally discharged of duty effective immediately, and instructed to return their diplomatic passports and those of their family members to the nearest South Sudan mission. The statement cited South Sudan's Diplomatic and Consular Act of 2011: "Absence from work for consecutive forty-five (45) days without permission, shall be considered a resignation." COST-SAVINGMr Makol dismissed suggestions the firings were a cost-saving exercise for South Sudan's cash-strapped government. CIVIL WARSouth Sudan, the world's youngest country, plunged into conflict in 2013, only two years after achieving independence.

Source: Daily Nation May 16, 2019 15:56 UTC