(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) South Sudan's parliament on Tuesday passed a bill regulating the activities of NGOs that provide humanitarian assistance in the war-torn country.
The bill requires NGOs to register with the country's relief and rehabilitation commission and obtain a valid permit in order to operate.
It also calls for international NGOs to provide a description of the voluntary and humanitarian work they intend to do, along with evidence of the organization's financial ability to perform the proposed work and open a bank account in South Sudan.
According to the bill, all NGOs must "ensure that no less than 80 percent of the total number of staff [members] employed in the organization be South Sudanese."
NGOs that fail to operate without a valid registration certificate will be liable to pay fines of up to 10,000 South Sudanese pounds.
The bill exempts the UN and its specialized agencies, along with the Red Cross and Red Crescent, from having to register.
Parliamentary communication officer Thomas Wani Kundu hailed the passage of the bill.
"It is unacceptable for NGOs operating in South Sudan to bring in massagers and cleaners from other countries," Kundu told Anadolu Agency.
He said the provision stipulating the opening of bank accounts was in order "to maintain circulation of currency within the country."
The bill now must be signed by President Salva Kiir in order to become law.
South Sudan is currently 16 months into a protracted political crisis following a power struggle within the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement.
In December of 2013, full-blown conflict erupted, which Kiir was quick to portray as a "coup attempt" by his sacked vice-president, Riek Machar.
The ensuing conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead, two million seeking refuge € both internally and as refugees in neighboring countries € and 2.5 million at risk of starvation in 2015, according to UN data.
On-again, off-again peace talks in Addis Ababa have failed to produce any tangible breakthroughs.
The dire humanitarian situation has led to an influx of humanitarian agencies into the young, troubled nation to assist affected populations.
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