A recent UN Human Rights Commission report has condemned South Sudan’s political elites for pervasive corruption and mismanagement of the nation’s resources. Titled *Plundering a Nation: How Rampant Corruption Unleashed a Human Rights Crisis in South Sudan*, the study draws on two years of independent investigations and analysis. It documents how oil and non‑oil revenues are being siphoned off through opaque schemes and contracts, depriving millions of South Sudanese of basic services. According to the commission, corruption is the primary driver of the country’s decline, fueling hunger, a collapsing health system and preventable deaths, and it has also ignited deadly armed conflict over resources.
Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has received more than $25.2 billion in oil revenues, yet the bulk of this wealth has not reached essential services. The commission’s analysis shows that the education, public health and justice systems are in crisis, with most civil servants underpaid or unpaid. International donors now spend more on South Sudan’s basic services than the government itself.
The report highlights several corruption schemes, notably the “Oil for Roads” program, which diverted an estimated $2.2 billion off‑budget into political patronage networks. The scheme implicates Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel, whose companies failed to deliver most of the promised roads. Other schemes involve non‑oil revenue collections, where little of the taxes reach government budgets, and illegal levies on humanitarian actors that obstruct critical food‑aid operations.
The UN Human Rights Commission has issued 54 recommendations to the Government of South Sudan to combat corruption and prioritize the population’s basic needs. The report’s release comes amid ongoing political tensions, including the recent announcement of charges against First Vice President Riek Machar, who has been arbitrarily detained since March 2025. The commission’s findings underscore the urgent need for action to dismantle systemic corruption and ensure that the country’s resources benefit its citizens.
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