South Sudan Government Cracks Down on Former Officials Amid Economic Crisis

Multiple former South Sudan government officials, including finance ministers, have been detained in recent weeks as President Salva Kiir's administration faces mounting economic pressures. The arrests come as the country's oil-dependent economy struggles due to ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan.

JUBA, South Sudan — Political tensions are escalating in South Sudan as authorities continue arresting former government officials in what experts describe as evidence of growing instability within President Salva Kiir’s administration, which is simultaneously battling an armed insurgency.

The most recent detention occurred Friday when former Finance Minister Bak Barnaba Chol was apprehended as he tried to enter Uganda. His arrest follows the detention of Marial Dongrin Ater, another ex-finance and planning minister who was dismissed from his position in August.

Over the past seven days, authorities have also taken into custody a former head of the central bank, a former deputy secretary in the petroleum ministry, and a general from the domestic intelligence service who had previously worked in the same department.

The specific charges behind these detentions have not been made public.

Speaking to Eye Radio, government spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny characterized the arrests as “not political” and described them as a “direct response to irregularities identified within the monetary system.” He indicated that an investigative committee is examining “financial malpractices.”

Civic leader Edmund Yakani described the atmosphere in Juba as anxious, with politicians worried about potential arrest. “So far, these arrests have mostly targeted financial institutions, but if the arrests carry into the security sectors it will be very dangerous,” he stated Saturday.

According to Daniel Akech from the International Crisis Group, these detentions indicate a shrinking of the president’s “big tent” coalition strategy, which Kiir has used for years to control the country’s fragmented political environment.

South Sudan’s oil-reliant economy is suffering severe damage from the conflict in Sudan, as the nation’s entire petroleum output travels through Sudanese pipeline infrastructure.

Pipeline damage from the Sudan conflict, which started in 2023, has periodically shut down more than 60% of oil production. World Bank projections show South Sudan’s economy contracted by 24% in 2025.

The International Crisis Group cautioned in 2024 that oil production disruptions could trigger widespread political violence as Kiir loses the petroleum revenues needed “to keep South Sudan’s rivalrous generals and warlords on his side.”

The government is already confronting an armed opposition movement. Opposition leader Riek Machar remains confined to his residence and is facing trial on subversion allegations, which he refutes. Many of his supporters have been detained or removed from government positions. Kiir removed Machar from his deputy role in September following the criminal accusations.

Violence has surged dramatically since Machar’s dismissal. United Nations data indicates thousands died in 2025, with 280,000 people forced from their homes since December.

A United Nations investigation concluded that South Sudan’s leadership is “systematically dismantling” the 2018 peace accord, which was designed to end civil warfare and restore Machar to a power-sharing arrangement with Kiir. The United States is pushing for renewed peace negotiations.