Benjamin Bol Mel, South Sudan’s vice president in charge of the economic cluster. He is the former presidential advisor on special programs. |File Photo|.
Monday, 21 April 2025
The United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has renewed sanctions against Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, South Sudan’s vice president for the economic cluster, accused of swindling South Sudan’s resources amid the prolonged civil war.
The sanctions target the businesses owned by Vice President Bol for allegedly corrupting South Sudan’s public finances.
Bol Mel owns several multi-million-dollar companies, including Winners Construction Company Limited and Africa Resource Company, Thai South Sudan Crusher, Aggregates and Building Materials Company (ABMC), and Home and Away Limited, for alleged corruption and mismanagement of public resources.
Bol’s companies have been contracted by the government to construct the road projects connecting Juba to the states of the Greater Bahr El-Ghazal region.
The renewal, implemented on 17/04/2025, marks a continuation of punitive measures first imposed in December 2017 during the initial administration of President Donald Trump.
The decision to renew sanctions comes at a time of heightened diplomatic friction between Washington and Juba, further complicating an already strained relationship.
Dr. Mel was appointed Vice President and Chairperson of the Economic Cluster by President Salva Kiir in February 2025, replacing Dr. James Wani Igga.
This move drew sharp criticism from the U.S. Embassy in Juba, which, in March 2025, issued a statement cautioning against the promotion of sanctioned individuals to senior government positions within the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU).
The sanctions aim to deter corruption and promote accountability in South Sudan’s governance.
Bol’s inclusion on the OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list restricts his ability to engage in international financial transactions and freezes any assets he may hold under U.S. jurisdiction.
The U.S. has consistently emphasised the importance of good governance and transparency as prerequisites for normalised relations and continued support for South Sudan’s peace and development efforts. The promotion of Mel, a sanctioned individual, is perceived as a direct affront to these principles.
