By Ijoo Bosco
Beneficiaries of a UNOPS-supported Cash-for-Work project in Torit staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday, demanding payment of incentives they say have remained unpaid for the past six months.
The demonstrators gathered outside the UNOPS field office in Torit, calling on the organisation and its implementing partners to immediately settle the outstanding payments.
Carrying placards and chanting peacefully, the protesters expressed frustration over the prolonged delay, saying the unpaid incentives have left many workers struggling to provide for their families and meet basic daily needs.
The beneficiaries said the Cash-for-Work project was intended to support vulnerable households by providing temporary employment and income, but the delay in payments has undermined the purpose of the initiative.
“We have worked and fulfilled our responsibilities, but we have gone for six months without receiving our incentives,” one of the protesters said. “Many families are suffering because this money is our only source of income.”
The protesters appealed to UNOPS, the project’s implementing partners, and the relevant authorities to urgently intervene and release the pending payments without further delay.
They warned that continued delays could worsen the economic hardship facing many households, while urging all parties to resolve the matter through dialogue and honour their commitments to the workers.
By press time, there was no immediate response from UNOPS or the implementing partners regarding the beneficiaries’ concerns.