30/11/2025
BREAKING: 32 Hotels Sue Government AGAIN Over Unpaid $60 Million Settlement
A group of 32 hotels in South Sudan has taken the government back to the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), accusing it of failing to honour a settlement to clear more than $60 million in accommodation debts.
The dispute stems from years of unpaid bills for hosting government officials and peace delegates under the National Transitional Committee (NTC) after the 2018 peace agreement. Although both sides signed an out-of-court settlement on 24 July 2025 agreeing on a payment plan with the first instalment due on 29 September the hotels say the government has not paid anything.
The coalition, led by World Focus Hotel and represented by Pan African Law Chambers LLP, filed a new Reference at the EACJ to avoid the case becoming time-barred. The court has now given the government 45 days to respond.
The settlement had been witnessed by senior officials, including then Minister of Presidential Affairs Chol Ajongo Mawut and then Minister of Justice Dr. Wek Mamer Kuol. Despite several follow-up meetings, hoteliers say all attempts to resolve the issue failed.
The case is now registered at the EACJ’s First Instance Division in Arusha, Tanzania. Efforts to reach the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the President for comment were unsuccessful.