The governor of South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal state has suspended the state minister of roads and bridges, citing allegations of corruption and insubordination.
Governor Simon Ober Mawut on Monday announced the indefinite suspension of Carolina Achok Akot, accusing her of misappropriating 60 million South Sudanese pounds (SSP) generated from leasing government land, according to a gubernatorial order seen by Radio Tamazuj.
Mawut also alleged that Achok failed to perform her duties, including refusal to attend a state cabinet meeting and a recent forum for county commissioners. Other accusations include the unauthorized seizure of public assets for personal use and the sale of fuel allocated for rehabilitating the Aweil airport runway.
“In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by Republican Decree No. 172/2024, read together with Article 99 (2)(a) of the Transitional Constitution of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State 2012 as amended, I hereby issue this gubernatorial order for the indefinite suspension of Hon. Carolina Achok Akot from her position as the state minister of roads and bridges, effective Aug. 25, 2025,” the order read.
In a statement dated August 27, Achok denied the allegations and accused the governor of orchestrating the very corruption she is being accused of.
She claimed the governor formed a committee—led by the deputy governor and including two ministers and a national security director—that seized assets donated by the European Union and UNOPS. Achok alleged the assets were moved to the Aweil Rice Project storage, where the governor sold one tractor and used another to cultivate his personal farm.
“This committee brought all the assets into the Aweil Rice Scheme storage, where you [Gov. Mawut] sold them one by one. One tractor was sold to Dalkha Company, and the other is now working on your private farm,” her statement read.
She further accused Mawut of taking a large generator for private use and selling three refrigerators for personal gain. “You also sent your brokers into the market to find buyers for the remaining assets,” she added.
Achok described her suspension as a personal vendetta rather than a political or administrative decision.
As tensions rise over the alleged misuse of state resources, civil society groups in Northern Bahr el Ghazal are calling for transparency and accountability.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Maria Angelo Charles, secretary of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Civil Society Organization Network, urged the national government to intervene.
“If this is really happening, the national government should investigate. If the governor is involved and the state parliament refuses to act, then the national authorities must step in,” Charles said. “On behalf of the communities, we call for accountability.”
Joseph Angok Mayath, executive director of the Empowering Village Initiative, echoed the call for a thorough and impartial investigation.
“All allegations involving public resources must be investigated transparently through proper mechanisms. Citizens need to trust that public funds are being used lawfully and responsibly,” Mayath said.