According to a report released Tuesday by the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, senior government officials have siphoned off billions of dollars in public funds while the majority of the population struggles with worsening hunger. The commission accused a “predatory elite” of seizing state resources and diverting revenues for personal benefit.
“Corruption is killing South Sudanese,” the commission declared, stressing that essential services like food, healthcare, and education are being carried almost entirely by foreign donors as the government neglects its duties.
The 101 page report spotlighted the oil for roads initiative, revealing that $1.7 billion of the $2.2 billion budgeted between 2021 and 2024 cannot be accounted for, with roughly 95% of road projects still incomplete. Investigators traced parts of the scheme to companies linked with Benjamin Bol Mel, a close associate of President Salva Kiir who now serves as second vice president.
The commission also pointed to questionable e-services, including electronic visas, which allegedly channeled tens of millions of dollars through politically connected firms such as Crawford Capital Ltd.Officials in Juba dismissed the report, describing it as an effort to “smear the good image” of the nation and its leaders.
