South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The misuse of both oil and non-oil revenues through off-budget spending and politically connected contracts has left millions of citizens without basic necessities, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights said on Tuesday.
Yasmin Sooka, Chairperson of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, stated that the diversion of public funds for personal gain has resulted in hardships for citizens since 2011.
“It is driving hunger, collapsing health systems, and causing preventable deaths, as well as fuelling deadly armed conflict over resources,” Sooka said in a report released on Tuesday.
Commissioner Barney Afako noted that corruption has significantly affected the country’s capacity to manage economic challenges, respond to crises, and allocate resources to uphold citizens’ human rights.
“Instead of directing national wealth toward serving the population, the country’s political leaders have systematically diverted both oil and non-oil revenues through corruption and unaccountable schemes entrenched throughout government,” said Afako.
“Moreover, fiscal and accountability reforms envisaged under the Revitalised Peace Agreement remain unimplemented, while impunity for corruption prevails.”
He urged the government to adhere to the provisions of the 2018 peace agreement, which aims to establish a transformative agenda for better public financial management.
“If implemented, this can enable the government to enhance its capacities to deliver on human rights. But these and other reforms have not been properly implemented or appropriately funded.”
Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernandez stated that the diversion of funds represents more than mere budgetary issues, as it results in preventable deaths, widespread malnutrition, and exclusion from education.
“Three-quarters of child deaths are preventable—yet funds go to patronage and private pockets, not medicine or clean water and sanitation,” said Castresana.
“South Sudan’s international partners must make clear that this situation is unacceptable, cannot lead to peace, will not address rights indispensable to the survival of the population, and sabotages credible elections and the political transition.”
The report, titled “Plundering a Nation: How Rampant Corruption Unleashed a Human-Rights Crisis in South Sudan,” revealed the extensive scale of this fraud.
It outlined how billions of dollars intended for national reconstruction have been misappropriated by government officials.
Based on two years of independent investigations, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan found that political leaders diverted oil revenue through opaque financial schemes and contracts linked to political interests, while millions of citizens lack basic services.
