South Sudan senior officials embezzled $36M: UN rights commission News
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South Sudan senior officials embezzled $36M: UN rights commission

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan reported Wednesday that senior politicians and government officials have embezzled $36 million since 2016 linked to government entities. The commission also claimed that this amount is what they could trace and it could be higher.

“At one end of the spectrum, South Sudan’s political elites were fighting for control of the country’s oil and mineral resources, in the process stealing their people’s future. At the other, the soldiers in this conflict over resources were offered the chance to abduct and rape women in lieu of salaries,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.

Ruben Madol Arol, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of the Republic of South Sudan, stated that the government had put in efforts to reduce gender-based violence and other harmful practices and to implement the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.

The speakers stated they remain “gravely concerned” by the ongoing human rights violations which include killings, gender-based violence and abductions. They also stated the government should end the recruitment of child soldiers and implement the Revitalized Agreement in full.

The commission also stated there are 6.5 million people affected by food insecurity. In 2017 the World Food Programme (WFP) declared a famine in two counties. The WFP said, “a collapsing economy, reduced crop production and dependence on imports” are all to blame for the worsening humanitarian situation. The WFP also claims there are 1.47 million people that are internally displaced.

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