Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The US Ambassador to South Sudan on Thursday reiterated calls on the transitional government to adopt transparent use of oil revenue for the benefit of its citizens.
Michael J. Adler said South Sudanese have a “fundamental” right to know how their resources are being utilized.
Adler said the country has enough resources while adding that it is unacceptable for the transitional government to allow civil servants to go for months without pay.
South Sudan’s economy is highly dependent on oil-revenue, and reports suggest that the transitional government has not instituted programs to diversify the economy.
A US government assessment in 2022 also indicated that South Sudan’s oil sector is fraught with corruption and mismanagement.
According to the statement, the country’s oil-producing firms, and the Petroleum Ministry remain on the Entity List of the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry.
Ambassador Adler is now calling on the unity government to be transparent in the usage of oil revenues.
“The transitional government should act with urgency to start using public revenue transparently for appropriate public purposes,” he said.
“To put it plainly, the South Sudanese people have a fundamental right to know how the country’s oil money is spent, at present that right is being denied them.”
“It is unacceptable that the transitional government does not pay its own employees, both civilian and military in a timely manner. The transitional government has the resources to do so.”
South Sudan is among the top three most corrupt countries in the world according to a ranking by Transparency International.
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