Former UN Official appeals for International Support to deal with Corruption in South Sudan

The former coordinator UN Panel of experts on South Sudan, Klem Ryan, has appealed to the international community to exert pressure on the Government to deal with corrupt officials.

He said this while responding to a three-part documentary titled; “The Profiteers” which details irregular transactions amounting to thousands of US dollars involving top South Sudan officials.

"It is a very valuable way for people to understand just one of the important aspects of the war in South Sudan over the past five years," said Klem adding that  this well-researched program is only the tip of the iceberg. The theft, corruption and violence is staggering.

Klem who currently runs a consultancy firm specializing in advising governments and international organisations on conflict response, mediation and diplomatic strategy, told radio Miraya that pressure must be exerted on banks in the region that have aided war profiteers.

“There have been a lot of investigations into this issue and these issues have been raised in Kenya and in Uganda and in other locations," said Kelm.

He added that; "This needs to be followed through on and that’s one of the key aspects that the International community can help the people of South Sudan on this issue.”

Early this year, the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government said Corruption con-tinues to hamper efforts aimed at promoting democratic governance, socio-economic transformation, peace and security, and the enjoyment of human rights in the AU Member States.

Klem also spoke of the urgent need to ensure Transparency in South Sudan's  Oil industry.  

“ One of the Key elements in the Peace agreement is the issue of transparency in the oil industry and that was one of the aspects of the documentary. What came out was that those who had access to the funds directly from the oil were most likely to be involved in these corrupt practices."

Stressing the urgency for transparency, Klem said; "It is of greatest urgency to South Sudan that transparency is established over this issue and the inter-national community help South Sudan on this and I think this is an achievable goal and will be a key test of the seriousness of this peace process.”

Listen to the Interview here