Army boss profits from civil war

A SENIOR South Sudanese army official used his position to accumulate millions of dollars through personal business dealings, while facilitating a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, a Washington-based group has claimed.

The Sentry said Lieutenant-General Malek Reuben Riak, the South Sudanese army’s deputy chief of defence staff, allegedly accumulated over $3 million (R39.1m) in a personal account between January 2012 and early 2016.

Documents indicate that foreign companies have been directed to purchase explosives from a private company owned by Riak, the Sudan Tribune reported on Wednesday.

John Prendergast, co-founder of The Sentry, said the documents also revealed a broader pattern in South Sudan in which powerful officials worked closely in a relatively small network and presided over a violent kleptocratic system of government.

“The documents indicate that, by using international facilitators, these officials can get rich while the rest of the country suffers the consequences of a brutal civil war and a horrific famine,” Prendergast said.

He said sanctions should be imposed on Riak, his companies and his associates in order to send a strong message to the South Sudan government that businessas-usual was no longer acceptable and that, going forward, there would be steep, escalating consequences.

The Sentry said the new report uncovered conflicts of interest and potential wrongdoing by Riak in his roles at Mak International Services, a company that he runs which sells explosives to private companies operating in South Sudan; Bright Star International, a mining company of which he is a director; and Jubilee Bank, where he also holds shares.

“Top generals responsible for South Sudan’s famine are promoted and rewarded, rather than held to account,” said the Sentry’s investigations manager, JR Mailey.