JUBA — South Sudanese authorities have detained several current and former top-tier officials in a sweeping investigation into “financial malpractices” within the nation’s oil and finance sectors, a move that has sent shockwaves through the transitional government.
Those held at the National Security Services headquarters in Juba include former Finance Ministers Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol and Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater, along with the former Governor of the Bank of South Sudan, Moses Makur Deng Manguak.
The arrests, carried out by a joint committee of the Ministry of Justice and the Presidential Guard’s “Tiger Division,” are ostensibly focused on the disappearance of millions in oil revenues.
Minister for Information Ateny Wek Ateny characterized the arrests as non-political, describing them as a necessary step to restore fiscal discipline. However, the timing has raised eyebrows among international observers.
South Sudan is currently grappling with a collapsing economy and a peace deal that UN experts warn is “unraveling toward full-scale war.”
“Corruption in South Sudan is systemic, and while accountability is welcomed, these arrests appear selective,” said a regional analyst at Human Rights Watch.
“There is a risk that anti-corruption rhetoric is being used as a tool to sideline political rivals ahead of the proposed 2026 elections.”
The detentions come as the country faces a humanitarian catastrophe, with civil servant salaries remaining unpaid for months despite the country’s significant oil wealth.
