Your Excellency, the President, the recent leadership change at the Ministry of Health was met with cautious optimism. Unfortunately, it has not produced the desired results, such as improved healthcare access and better management of health crises. The underlying issues remain unchanged; it appears that only the facade has been altered, as the same systemic problems that plagued the Ministry of Health prior to the leadership change continue to persist without effective solutions.
At the center of this ongoing decay is Yar Manyuon, the wife of Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel and the Director General and Incident Manager at the Ministry of Health. She is familiar with this role, having previously collaborated with the former Minister of Health and the former undersecretary to establish the very system of state capture that your administration aimed to dismantle. While the minister and the undersecretary have changed, Yar Manyuon has remained. She is the deep-rooted issue that no surface-level changes can eliminate, as her influence and connections within the health system continue to undermine efforts for genuine reform.
Today, she manages the nationwide distribution of over 9,500,000 Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs), donated by UNICEF, or rather, funded with over $20 million by various organizations, including the Global Fund, the Against Malaria Foundation, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, Population Services International, UNDP, and the Malaria Consortium. These organizations rigorously monitor every dollar spent and withdraw their support without negotiation if trust is compromised.
It is already broken. Trucks belonging to Africa Resources Corporation (ARC), sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), are on the ground, clearly marked as ARC, transporting donor-funded health commodities across the country. In a misguided attempt at concealment, their license plates have been removed. This is not a mere oversight; it is criminal, a violation of the law and an admission of guilt. The disguise has failed; ARC trucks remain identifiable as ARC trucks, regardless of whether they have plates or not.
The convoy is escorted by Cueibet Mayom, the personal bodyguard of Yar Manyuon. With a sanctioned company involved, unmarked vehicles, and the director’s personal soldiers present, this situation exemplifies state capture accompanied by military support.
This operation is now supported by Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi, elevating it from mere ministerial misconduct to a situation that demands your immediate personal intervention.
When donors confirm that their funds have passed through an OFAC-sanctioned entity posing as Broofield International Company, they will not provide warnings. They will withdraw their support. The repercussions will not fall on Yar Manyuon; instead, they will fall on the mother in Aweil, the child in Pibor, and the elder in Rumbek—every South Sudanese who has no alternative when funding ceases.
Your Excellency, global health financing is dwindling. Once trust is lost with these institutions, it is difficult to regain. The request is straightforward: do not allocate international funds to individuals or entities whose actions cannot withstand international scrutiny. Those who remove number plates from sanctioned trucks have already revealed their true character.
Accountability is vital. It is a prerequisite for the survival of already deprived citizens.
The writer, Dr. Sunday de John, holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from the University of Nairobi, Faculty of Business and Management Sciences and Faculty of Medicine, respectively. He is the current Chairman of the South Sudan United Front-Progressive and can be reached via drsundayalong4@gmail.com
The views expressed in ‘opinion’ articles published by Radio Tamazuj are solely those of the writer. The veracity of any claims made is the responsibility of the author, not Radio Tamazuj.
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