Corruption in South Sudan is among the worst in the world. The nation's elites have developed a kleptocratic system that controls every part of the South Sudanese economy. This system has taken shape quickly in a relatively short period, South Sudan having won self-rule in 2005 while remaining part of Sudan, and having been accorded full sovereignty in 2011.
According to one member of parliament, the nation has lacked any and all regulations to "combat frauds and malfeasance among the senior government officials," especially among government procurement officials within the ministry of finance and economic planning.[1] In a 2013 article, Nyol Gaar Nguen wrote that "[o]utright thieves and looting of public funds in a broad day light by the enforcer or man in charge always reigns" in South Sudan.[2] The degree of corruption and mismanagement revealed in the Auditor General's report for 2005 and 2006 reportedly "brought some MPs in South Sudan's National Legislative Assembly to tears."[3] A 2012 report stated that more than $4 billion in government funds had been stolen since the advent of self-rule in 2005.[4]
The major corruption scandal since the beginning of self-rule has been the so-called "Dura Saga," although there have been dozens of other significant instances of similar wrongdoing. These episodes have often been shrouded in confusion and have almost never resulted in prosecution or punishment. The Africa Review noted in 2013 that despite the South Sudanese government having ordered several investigations into scandals, they are virtually always ignored or intentionally sabotaged altogether.[5] President Salva Kiir Mayardit has repeatedly declared that his government is actively fighting corruption, but on April 12, 2013, he fired Elias Wako Nyamellel, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, "for acknowledging that South Sudan is corrupted and 'rotten to the core.'"[2] The problem is compounded by the serious lack of transparency in South Sudanese government records and business information. Requests for official data can be arbitrarily turned down with impunity.[6]
- ^ Achien, Mel Wal (May 27, 2013). "Corruption: The untold facts of South Sudan's Dura scandal". Sudan Tribune.
- ^ a b Nguen, Nyol Gaar (Jul 19, 2013). "The 488 million pounds evidence of corruption in the presidency". Sudan Tribune.
- ^ "SPLA top generals asked by anti-corruption to declare their assets". Sudan Tribune. Feb 27, 2012.
- ^ Uma, Julius (Jun 18, 2012). "Australia urges transparency in South Sudan's mining industry". Sudan Tribune.
- ^ Amos, Machel (May 21, 2013). "South Sudan's dizzying corruption merry-go-round". African Review. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ "The Nexus of Corruption and Conflict in South Sudan". The Sentry.