Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday denied reports that the South Sudanese pound (SSP) is being used in Sudan’s Darfur and Kordofan regions, particularly in areas controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
After more than two years of fighting Sudan’s army, an alliance of armed and political groups backed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces announced the formation of a parallel government on 20 July 2025.
The statement came amid growing concern over a liquidity crisis in South Sudan, with lawmakers last week calling for urgent intervention. Some have proposed changing the national currency to flush out money allegedly hoarded outside the banking system.
Chagor Ajak, a lawmaker representing the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, said he received information from unnamed banks suggesting the liquidity crisis is partly due to large amounts of SSP circulating in RSF-held areas in Darfur and Kordofan
“We want to summon the financial intelligence unit,” Ajak said. “I asked a bank manager why they don’t have SSP, and he said a lot of it is in Darfur—in areas controlled by the RSF—because they don’t have their own currency there. The Sudanese government changed its currency, so they are using ours.”
Ajak also accused traders from Darfur operating in Juba of smuggling SSP across the border, further exacerbating the cash shortage. He did not provide evidence to support his claims.
Residents in Sudan’s West Kordofan state told Radio Tamazuj they are indeed using South Sudanese pounds for daily transactions.
“I have South Sudanese pounds in my pocket right now and I can use them to buy anything here in El Meiram,” one resident said on condition of anonymity.
However, citizens in South Darfur state reported no use of the SSP in Nyala, the state capital, except in areas near the South Sudanese border.
“The South Sudanese pound is not used in Nyala. It’s only accepted in areas like El Rigeibat in East Darfur, near the border,” a Nyala resident told Radio Tamazuj.
Responding to media questions, Philip Jada Natana, Director General for Bilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the government has not received any official confirmation of SSP circulation in Darfur.
“We have no clear evidence that our currency is being used in RSF-held areas,” Natana said. “We don’t have a government presence in those territories, so we cannot confirm this information.”
Natana added that even if the reports were true, the government would have little control over the spread of its currency beyond its borders.
“Money moves. During the liberation struggle, parts of South Sudan used currencies from neighboring countries—Kenyan shillings in Narus, Ugandan shillings in border areas, and Congolese francs near the DRC,” he said.
Natana attributed the current liquidity crisis not to cross-border currency flows but to public mistrust in the banking system.
“The real problem is that many people keep their money at home,” he said. “There’s resistance to adopting mobile money and other digital platforms. Many citizens are simply not familiar with them.”
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