On Tuesday, South Sudan expressed concern about a US warning about the dangers of conducting business in the unstable nation, which is coping with a number of issues more than ten years after gaining independence.
Due to their inability to adhere to a number of deadlines in the country’s transition process, the United States and South Sudan’s other international allies have increased pressure on the country’s leaders.
The caution sent on Monday to US companies operating in South Sudan caused “seriously alarm,” according to the authorities in Juba.
The US Departments of State, Commerce, and Labor issued a warning about “the growing reputational, financial, and legal risks” associated with business dealings involving the government or firms run by officials’ relatives.
The advice urged US companies to exercise “due diligence on corruption and human rights issues” and to steer clear of any transactions involving sanctioned South Sudanese officials.
It also criticized the interim administration for failing to “adhere to its own laws,” notably those pertaining to transparency regarding oil earnings.
Dealings might “unfavorably impact US businesses, individuals, other persons, and their operations in South Sudan and the region,” the statement stated.
According to figures from the US, two-way commerce in 2019 totaled $88 million.
MSF issues a warning about an upcoming hospital closure in war-torn Sudan.
The foreign ministry of South Sudan stated that it accepted the US’s right to issue such warnings and acknowledged that the government’s efforts to put the 2018 peace agreement into effect face difficulties, notably in the areas of economic reform and public financial management.
However, it went on to say that “the government believes that cooperation and partnership are more effective than confrontation and isolation in achieving mutual interests and objectives.”
Since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, when it was the world’s youngest country, South Sudan has been plagued by problems, including a five-year civil conflict that claimed almost 400,000 people before a peace agreement was completed in 2018.
But the flimsy unity government presided over by President Salva Kiir and his challenger and running mate Riek Machar has mainly fallen short of its commitments.
After the government inexplicably prolonged the transition period stated in the peace agreement a year ago, Kiir has committed to hold South Sudan’s first-ever presidential election by the end of 2024.
But he and Machar are accused by Western governments of delaying their feet in an effort to maintain control over one of the world’s poorest and most corrupt nations.
The so-called Troika of the United States, Britain, and Norway stated last week that “there has been neither any meaningful progress since (the extension) nor evidence of political will.”
“Deadline after deadline has been missed, laws remain unpassed, commissions remain unformed, and implementation bodies are unfunded.”
Civilians in Khartoum were instructed to leave while war raged in Sudan.
Although it no longer supports the peace process, the United States continues to provide humanitarian aid to the nation, where millions are suffering from extreme food insecurity.
