In South Sudan, there is a common saying: one must take rumors seriously. Citizens often recount how widely circulated warnings, dismissed at first, eventually materialize into devastating realities.
The recent attack in Abiemnhom, which claimed over 200 lives, was reportedly anticipated through warnings weeks before it occurred. A medical professional who survived alongside senior county officials reflected that he would never again ignore such signals. These narratives speak not only to the insecurity faced by communities but to a deeper crisis: a state unable to anticipate, respond, or protect its people.
Yet this article is not about Abiemnhom. It is about the heartbreaking tragedy of mismanaged oil wealth — South Sudan’s so-called blessing that has too often been a silent curse. For a nation whose survival has depended on oil, billions of dollars have flowed, yet the ordinary citizen sees little benefit.
Roads crumble, hospitals remain under-resourced, clean water is scarce, and communities in oil-producing areas bear the brunt of environmental degradation. Children in Unity and Ruweng Administrative Areas are born with deformities linked to pollution from oil operations, livestock die from contaminated water, and yet billions are generated while these communities remain in despair.
Over the past decade, several reports have exposed alarming patterns of financial mismanagement. A 2025 United Nations report alleged that approximately $1.7 billion was paid between 2021 and 2024 to companies connected to senior political figures for road contracts that were never delivered.
The Sentry’s 2018 report documented over $80 million in payments from Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet) between 2014 and 2015 categorized as “security expenses,” many linked to actors in the civil war. More recently, a Radio Tamazuj investigation revealed that a private digital payment platform gained authority to manage multi-million-dollar oil levies, controlling revenue streams quietly and without transparency.
If properly managed, oil could significantly transform South Sudan’s economy. At an average global price of $80 per barrel and production of approximately 110,000 barrels per day, daily revenue reaches about $8.8 million. This translates into roughly $264 million per month and approximately $3.17 billion annually.
In a country of around 11 million people, such revenue, if transparently administered could expand healthcare access, modernize agriculture, strengthen infrastructure, and reduce dependency on external assistance. The scale of opportunity is breathtaking; yet the failure to manage these resources responsibly has made South Sudan’s wealth a source of heartbreak rather than hope.
South Sudan’s oil sector is a complex web of state and foreign involvement. Nilepet, the fully state-owned enterprise, remains the primary operator and custodian of national oil assets. Yet, most productive blocks are held in partnership with foreign firms, including Chinese and Malaysian companies that control approximately 80 percent of the stakes.
While these partnerships bring technical capacity and investment, they also constrain the government’s flexibility and the potential for equitable wealth distribution. Current arrangements, if left unregulated, risk perpetuating systemic inequities — billions of dollars flowing out while citizens are left with broken roads, empty schools, and poisoned rivers.
The heartbreak of oil mismanagement is visible in every neglected village along the oil corridors. Yet, hope lies in reform, not rejection. Privatization, when done transparently and responsibly, can be a tool to transform this curse into a blessing. Transparent privatization does not mean relinquishing national ownership, it means structuring contracts, revenues, and oversight to ensure national benefit.
Even with 80 percent of shares held by foreign partners, the government can implement reforms that protect citizens and maximize returns: competitive bidding for operational control, independent monitoring, mandatory public disclosure of revenues, and legally binding environmental and social obligations for all operators.
International examples illuminate a path forward. Angola restructured Sonangol, separating regulatory and operational functions while introducing transparent competitive bidding. Malaysia’s Petronas demonstrates how a state-owned enterprise can operate commercially while remaining accountable to the public and parliament. Norway, through Equinor and the Government Pension Fund Global, channels revenues into a sovereign wealth fund, transparently audited and invested for long-term national prosperity.
From these lessons, key principles emerge for South Sudan: regulatory and operational roles must be distinct; licensing must be competitive; revenues must be remitted directly to the Central Bank; production and sales must be publicly disclosed; parliamentary oversight should ensure accountability without operational interference; and a portion of revenue should be invested in stabilization or sovereign wealth funds to secure future generations.
Practically, this could be implemented through an independent technical body composed of petroleum economists, environmental experts, legal scholars, and international advisors from experienced oil-producing nations.
This body would oversee contracts and operational compliance while ensuring that national ownership remains intact. All revenues should be wired directly to the Central Bank, publicly reported monthly, and subject to quarterly audits. The constitutionally mandated 3 percent allocation to oil-producing communities must be invested transparently in tangible services such as schools, hospitals, clean water systems, and rural roads, monitored rigorously by very independent body.
South Sudan stands at a crossroads. Oil can either remain a source of corruption, inequality, and heartbreak, or it can become a foundation for hope, development, and national unity. The choice hinges on governance, transparency, and courage — the courage to put people above politics, citizens above contracts, and the future above short-term gain.
Every child born in Unity, Upper Nile, every farmer in Ruweng, and every citizen of Juba deserves more than the fleeting promise of oil; they deserve a nation where its wealth fuels human dignity, opportunity, and sustainable growth. The question is not whether oil is a blessing or a curse, it is whether South Sudan has the courage to transform it into a true blessing for its people.
This policy recommendation, no matter how well-crafted, can only succeed if the President and his team implement them with integrity, vision, and a genuine commitment to the people. Leadership must prioritize national interest over personal gain, transparency over secrecy, and the welfare of citizens over politically motivated deals.
The reforms will fail if leadership continues to enable or benefit from opaque oil arrangements, shields “big cats” in the sector, or allows wealth to be siphoned away through favoritism.
True transformation demands courage, accountability, and the resolve to place South Sudan’s future above short-term profits and political expediency. Only then can the nation’s oil move from a source of heartbreak to a foundation of hope, dignity, and sustainable development for all its people.
The writer, Garang Abraham Malak, is a South Sudanese journalist and communication and public relations professional.
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.