[OPINION] – The Curious Case of Ghost Oil and Ghost Salaries

(JUBA) – South Sudan is once again in the international spotlight, and not for any good reason. This time, a London courtroom has become the venue for the latest embarrassment, as oil trader BB Energy has sued the Government of South Sudan for failing to deliver oil after being paid in advance, a bit like paying for a boda boda ride only for the rider to disappear with both the money and the bike.

The lawsuit, officially listed as case CL-2025-000296, could pass for just another international dispute if it were not such a perfect metaphor for how things work (or don’t) in Juba.

BB Energy is not some fair weather friend. These good people stood by South Sudan through war, chaos and the kind of fiscal planning that would make even a primary school accountant weep. And now, even they have said “enough is enough.”

To make matters worse, this is not the first time oil has gone AWOL. In May, Vitol Bahrain EC also took legal action for a similar vanishing act, while Afreximbank is chasing down over $657 million for a loan backed by oil that seems to have evaporated like dew on a Yei morning.

It is not just oil that disappears in South Sudan. So do salaries. Government employees have been receiving their monthly pay… digitally. But when they go to the bank to withdraw it, the money is as absent as the oil tankers at Palouch. It is like being given a birthday cake on WhatsApp. You can see it, but you definitely can’t eat it.

Imagine telling your landlord, “Don’t worry, my salary came. Just check my mobile banking screenshot.” They won’t care that your pay exists somewhere in the cloud when what they want is rent in hard cash, not a digital ghost.

This is all part of a growing trend where South Sudan’s financial promises are becoming more and more fictional:

Problem	Victim	Outcome
Prepaid Oil	BB Energy	No delivery, lawsuit in London
Prepaid Oil (again)	Vitol Bahrain EC	Still waiting, also in court
Oil backed loan	Afreximbank	$657 million in default
Government salaries	Civil servants	Paid “digitally,” can’t withdraw cash
Oil revenue	The Nation	Liquidity crisis

The root of all this appears to be systemic dysfunction. Ministries that don’t talk to each other and a petroleum sector that is more opaque than a power blackout in Wau. Oil production has shrunk from over 350,000 barrels per day to just 138,000, and most of that is already spoken for through debt or plain confusion. Public debt is at $3.7 billion (or 17.02 trillion South Sudanese Pounds), and debt to oil traders alone is $550 million. To give perspective, that is enough money to build hospitals, schools or even fix the Nile ferries, but instead it is tied up in oil deals that deliver neither oil nor cash. The bureaucrats seem to be as detached from economic reality as a goat on a boda boda. Real decisions appear to be made in  shadowy corridors by people whose job descriptions begin and end with “Presidential Advisor on Everything.” BB Energy’s lawsuit is a wake up call. If there is one thing international energy markets don’t play with, it is delivery. Juba’s reputation is now hanging by a thread if more lawsuits follow. The executive needs to stop leaving these issues to junior officials whose biggest decision all week is where to buy airtime. The petroleum sector needs a full audit, laws must be enforced and the ghost salaries must become real money, not just figures that float around like invisible cows. But none of that matters if the politics don’t change. Reform must start with peace. Real peace. Not the kind announced at press conferences. Until then, oil will be paid for and never arrive. Salaries will be received but never withdrawn. And international courts will become the new Ministry of Petroleum.

---

Disclaimer

Access Radio does not endorse any claims, opinions or interpretations presented in this commentary. Readers are advised to treat the content as opinion, not fact. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Access Radio, its editors, affiliates or partners. Have a view or opinion on this topic? Share your commentary or pitch an opinion column by writing to news [at] radioyei.org — your voice matters in shaping the national conversation.