UN report cites huge government corruption in South Sudan as its food crisis worsens

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Billions of dollars in public funds in South Sudan have been stolen over the past decade in massive government corruption while the vast majority of the country suffers from lack of food, a U.N. commission said Tuesday.

The report by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan details several schemes allegedly used by political officials to divert huge chunks of public revenues since achieving independence from Sudan in 2011, after decades of civil war.

Meanwhile, the impoverished country’s food crisis has deepened, and last year the government postponed for the second time what would have been the first-ever national elections, citing lack of funds. According to U.N. data, South Sudan’s population is nearing over 11 million.

“While a small group of powerful actors pillage and loot the country’s wealth and resources, enriching themselves, the state has effectively abdicated its sovereign responsibilities to its population, outsourcing critical services – such as the provision of food, health care, and education to international donors,” the report states. “Corruption is killing South Sudanese.”

In a written statement, the government called many of the allegations “absurd,” and said the report contained “methodological errors” and overstepped the commission’s mandate. It also said it had not been given sufficient time to respond to the findings.

The U.N. report alleges that the government’s oil-for-roads program funneled oil revenue to companies associated with Benjamin Bol Mel, a businessman close to President Salva Kiir and who was appointed to one of five vice presidency positions this year.

The oil-for-roads program is the government’s keystone infrastructure development initiative and the largest since recipient in recent years of oil revenue, which is the cornerstone of the country’s economy.

The report says that $1.7 billion of the $2.2 billion dedicated to the roads program is unaccounted for, while 95% of roads required by the initiative have not been completed.

The government rejected the commission’s findings on the diversion of oil-for-roads funds, which it said were “meant to smear the good image of the people of South Sudan and its leadership.”

Bol Mel, who many speculate is being groomed to succeed the president, is currently under U.S. sanctions, as are several of his companies.

The report alleges that in an other scheme the “politically connected” Crawford Capital Ltd. captured tens of millions of dollars through “irregular government e-services,” such as the processing of electronic visas and petroleum import and export licenses, and electronic collection of taxes.

Most development and quality of life indicators rank South Sudan among the lowest in the world. Approximately one in 10 children die in childbirth, and secondary school enrollment is just 5%.

Food security analysts say that 76 of the country’s 79 counties are in the throes of severe food insecurity. Yet only a tiny fraction of government funds are allocated to public services, the report says. Between 2020 and 2024, less than 1% of the federal budget was allocated to ministries responsible for supporting food security.

During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, public funds spent on the president’s personal medical unit surpassed those spent on nationwide health care.

The government has pointed to international sanctions and declining oil production as obstacles to spending on public services.

South Sudan has long been plagued by corruption and theft of public funds, multiple investigations have found. A 2021 report by the U.N. uncovered tens of millions of dollars in unaccounted for government revenue, in what it said amounted to “a tiny fraction of the overall pattern of theft.”

The latest U.N. report was released as fears rise that the country is backsliding to full-scale war. On Thursday, opposition leader Riek Machar was suspended from his post as first vice president after being indicted on charges including murder, terrorism and crimes against humanity, after a local militia that the government says he has links to overran a military garrison near the Ethiopian border. He has been under house arrest since March.