NAIROBI, Kenya — Billions of dollars in public funds in South Sudan have been stolen over the past decade in massive government corruption while the vast majority of the country suffers from lack of food, a U.N. commission said Tuesday.
The report by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan details several schemes allegedly used by political officials to divert huge chunks of public revenues since achieving independence from Sudan in 2011, after decades of civil war.
Meanwhile, the impoverished country’s food crisis has deepened, and last year the government postponed for the second time what would have been the first-ever national elections, citing lack of funds. According to U.N. data, South Sudan’s population is nearing over 11 million.
“While a small group of powerful actors pillage and loot the country’s wealth and resources, enriching themselves, the state has effectively abdicated its sovereign responsibilities to its population, outsourcing critical services — such as the provision of food, health care, and education to international donors,” the report states. “Corruption is killing South Sudanese.”
In a written statement, the government called many of the allegations “absurd,” and said the report contained “methodological errors” and overstepped the commission’s mandate. It also said it had not been given sufficient time to respond to the findings.
The U.N. report alleges that the government’s oil-for-roads program funneled oil revenue to companies associated with Benjamin Bol Mel, a businessman close to President Salva Kiir and who was appointed to one of five vice presidency positions this year.
The oil-for-roads program is the government’s keystone infrastructure development initiative and t