The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has called for urgent reforms to tackle entrenched corruption and the diversion of public funds by the country’s political elite. The commission says widespread looting of state resources has fueled a devastating human rights crisis in the world’s youngest nation.
Released in Nairobi, Kenya, the report titled “Plundering a Nation: How Rampant Corruption Unleashed a Human Rights Crisis in South Sudan” draws from two years of independent investigation and analysis.
According to the findings, South Sudan has generated more than $25.2 billion in oil revenue since independence in 2011, yet systemic corruption has meant very little of that money has gone into essential public services such as healthcare, education and infrastructure.
The report highlights how $1.7 billion was paid between 2021 and 2024 to companies connected to Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel for road projects that were never delivered.
“Corruption is not incidental, it is the engine of South Sudan’s decline,” said Yasmin Sooka, chairperson of the commission. She stressed that theft of public wealth has triggered hunger, collapsing health systems, preventable deaths, and even armed conflict over resources.
Other commissioners warned that corruption directly translates into suffering. “These diversions are not abstract budget failures — they mean preventable deaths, mass malnutrition and exclusion from education,” said Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernandez.
The report concludes that while the 2018 peace agreement attempted to strengthen financial accountability, reforms have largely failed. The commission urged South Sudan’s leaders to immediately prioritize anti-corruption measures, transparency, and the protection of basic human rights.
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