South Sudan’s economy, heavily reliant on oil exports through neighbouring Sudan, has been further strained by the ongoing conflict in Sudan and a pipeline rupture in February.
This disruption has led to a significant decline in oil revenues and worsened existing issues of government mismanagement.
The economic crisis has sparked protests in Juba over unpaid salaries, with citizens forced to find alternative income sources.
With 36 years of experience, Maburuk Kuyu Surur, a deputy head teacher in Juba, remarked that he has never encountered such an extensive salary delay, even prior to South Sudan’s independence in 2011.
Surur mentioned that he and other teachers have been soliciting small contributions from students’ families to support themselves, despite education being free.
“We are struggling,” said the 60-year-old Surur.
President Salva Kiir’s administration, grappling with an economic crisis and international demands to prepare for delayed elections, has faced instability. The finance ministry has seen six ministers since 2020, with the latest removed in July.
Many government offices in Juba are largely empty during working hours, as employees have left due to not being paid since October.
One government worker, who gets a monthly salary equivalent to $8, has taken a side job at a restaurant where she earns around $20. She requested anonymity due to fears of retaliation.
“Prices keep soaring every day,” she declared. A 50-kilogram bag of maize flour now costs up to five times what it did a year ago.
According to the World Bank, inflation in South Sudan is at 35% compared to the previous year, and the local currency has sharply depreciated against the U.S. dollar on both the black market and the official rate.
Although a third of South Sudan’s oil continues to be exported via another pipeline, President Salva Kiir has voiced frustration over government mismanagement.
The government is increasingly reliant on non-oil revenue, such as taxes on imported goods, to cover salaries. Kiir stated in July that despite having funds, salaries have not been paid for nine months.
He instructed the new finance minister to consolidate revenues into a single account and address corruption in income collection.
Previously, with higher oil revenues, the government did not prioritise these financial controls, noted Boboya James, CEO of the Juba-based Institute of Social Policy and Research.
He attributed the decline in public finances to ineffective policies and corruption that have deprived the young nation of crucial development funds.
Although some external aid persists—such as a $46.2 million agreement between the African Development Bank and South Sudan to boost agricultural production through December 2030—international frustration with South Sudan has increased.
Despite the end of the civil war, inter-communal violence persists, and the UN reports that preparations for delayed elections, now set for December, are still incomplete.
With significant displacement and poverty affecting the majority of its population, which relies on humanitarian aid, South Sudan is seeking to diversify its revenue sources.
The country is focusing on tourism and agriculture as strategies to tackle its economic difficulties.
In South Sudan, civil servants and security personnel are increasingly strained. The foreign ministry revealed in May that diplomats had not been paid since 2019, with many relying on personal support.
In June, a South Sudanese diplomat in Rome was filmed in distress after eviction for unpaid rent. Protests over salary delays have erupted in Juba, with security forces abstaining from intervention.
Some in the security forces are abandoning their official roles for alternative work, like Akol Deng, who has transitioned to trading charcoal to support himself.