Personnel Risk:

Critical

Score:

16/100

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34 25/100

Do the Defence Ministry, Defence Minister, Chiefs of Defence, and Single Service Chiefs publicly commit, through, for example, speeches, media interviews, or political mandates, to anti-corruption and integrity measures?

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Chiefs/Ministers: Internal communications Score: 25 / 100
There is very limited information regarding internal communication on corruption from the chiefs/ministers of the South Sudanese Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs[1]. However,…
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Chiefs/Ministers: Public commitment Score: 25 / 100
There is limited transparency and communication from top defence officials in South Sudan regarding corruption and integrity matters. Rarely do defence leaders give media…
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Unit commanders and leaders Score: NEI / 100
There is very limited information regarding internal communication on corruption from the unit commanders and leaders of the South Sudanese Ministry of Defence and…
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35 25/100

Are there effective measures in place for personnel found to have taken part in forms of bribery and corruption, and is there evidence that these measures are being carried out?

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Sanctions Score: 50 / 100
Article 73 (1) of the SPLA Act, 2009, outlines offences that constitute corruption and nepotism practices. It touches on issues related to bribery, fraud…
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Enforcement Score: 0 / 100
Corruption remains a major challenge in South Sudan’s public sector. The country is ranked among the most corrupt countries with indexes such as the…
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36 0/100

Is whistleblowing encouraged by the government, and are whistle-blowers in military and defence ministries afforded adequate protection from reprisal for reporting evidence of corruption, in both law and practice?

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Legal provisions Score: 0 / 100
South Sudan has not adopted whistleblower protection legislation [1].
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Prioritisation Score: 0 / 100
South Sudan has not adopted whistleblower protection legislation. [1] Lack of such protection means that those who may have the desire to report corruption…
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Effectiveness Score: 0 / 100
South Sudan does not encourage whistleblowing, and no specific protections exist for those who report corruption within military or defence institutions [1]. Individuals who…
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37 0/100

Is special attention paid to the selection, time in post, and oversight of personnel in sensitive positions, including officials and personnel in defence procurement, contracting, financial management, and commercial management?

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Coverage of sensitive (higher-risk) positions Score: 0 / 100
There is no special recognition that some positions are more vulnerable to corruption than others within the defence ministry. Such classification does not feature…
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Selection process Score: NA / 100
The absence of recognition that certain positions within the South Sudanese military are more susceptible to corruption than others make it difficult to evaluate…
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Oversight Score: NA / 100
There is no special recognition that some positions are more vulnerable to corruption than others within the defence ministry. Such classification does not feature…
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38 0/100

Is the number of civilian and military personnel accurately known and publicly available?

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Accuracy Score: 0 / 100
There is an overall concern over ghost workers in South Sudan public service. [1] In the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, the lack…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
The Ministry of Defence has summarised on its website the number of its personnel, estimating the number to be 180,000 as of 2018. [1]…
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Ghost soldiers Score: 0 / 100
Overall, the number of people working in South Sudan’s public sector is unclear. There has been allegations of ghost workers syphoning millions of dollars…
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39 50/100

Are pay rates and allowances for civilian and military personnel openly published?

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Pay rates Score: 50 / 100
Pay rates are mostly published for military personnel and are presented in terms of ranks (from the lowest to the highest military ranks.) This…
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Allowances Score: 50 / 100
Although the criteria for calculating allowances for military and civilian personnel is not made clear, the aggregate based on rank is often published by…
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40 17/100

Do personnel receive the correct pay on time, and is the system of payment well-established, routine, and published?

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Timeliness Score: 0 / 100
South Sudan civil servants including the police and the military experience regular delay in payment of salaries. In 2024, widespread demonstrations were experienced in…
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Accuracy Score: 50 / 100
Due to financial constraints exacerbated by conflict and runaway inflation, civil servants frequently experience discrepancies in their remuneration or full payments being deferred [1]…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
South Sudan does not publish the payment system. Information related to such a system is not available either on the local or reginal media…
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41 17/100

Is there an established, independent, transparent, and objective appointment system for the selection of military personnel at middle and top management level?

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Formal process Score: 50 / 100
The SPLA Act of 2009 prescribes the criteria of appointment for both middle and top uniformed and civilian management. For example, Section 18 (12)…
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Scrutiny Score: 0 / 100
Although the SPLA Act of 2009 [1] outlines a formal process for the appointment of middle and top management in the military, there is…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
Appointments made for middle and top military officials is often made through presidential decrees which are made public through mainstream media [1] [2]. The…
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42 38/100

Are personnel promoted through an objective, meritocratic process? Such a process would include promotion boards outside of the command chain, strong formal appraisal processes, and independent oversight.

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Formal process Score: 50 / 100
Personnel promotions within the South Sudan army are not conducted through an objective, merit-based process, despite the existence of formal provisions in the SPLA…
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Exceptions Score: 0 / 100
The criteria for promotion are well spelt out in Section 29 of the SPLA Act of 2009, [1] However recent promotions have opened up…
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Comprehensiveness Score: 50 / 100
When promotions are made, some of the information is provide especially for the highest ranks [1]. However, in other promotions which are often mass…
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Frequency Score: 50 / 100
Postings and promotions are published regularly but not frequently. Indeed, an assessment of media reports shows that promotions and postings also take a political…
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43 NA/100

Where compulsory conscription occurs, is there a policy of not accepting bribes for avoiding conscription? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?

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Policy Score: NA / 100
Section 20 of the SPLA Act 2009 on Enrolment Policy states that recruitment into the SPLA military service shall be voluntary, except where the…
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Sanctions Score: NA / 100
Section 20 of the SPLA Act 2009 on Enrolment Policy states that recruitment into the SPLA military service shall be voluntary, except where the…
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Enforcement Score: NA / 100
Section 20 of the SPLA Act 2009 on Enrolment Policy states that recruitment into the SPLA military service shall be voluntary, except where the…
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44 50/100

is there a policy of refusing bribes to gain preferred postings? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?

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Policy Score: 50 / 100
The issue of bribery is covered in Section 73. of the SPLA Act of 2009 which talks about Nepotism and Corrupt Practices. This section…
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Sanctions Score: 50 / 100
Section 72 (2) is also clear on the sanctions to befall those found guilty of bribery. The law states that “Any SPLA personnel who,…
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Enforcement Score: NA / 100
While there are formal laws to tackle bribery, there are no publicly reported cases of sanctions being applied to those involved in bribery. A…
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45 0/100

Are chains of command separate from chains of payment?

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Score: 0 / 100
In the South Sudanese army, chains of command and chains of payment are deeply intertwined, rather than separate [2]. High-level commanders frequently manipulate payroll…
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46 6/100

Is there a Code of Conduct for all military personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?

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Code of conduct Score: 25 / 100
South Sudan has two legal documents that cover the code of conduct for military personnel. These are the SPLM Code of Conduct [1] and…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
The SPLM Code of Conduct and the “Sudan People’s Liberation Movement’s Rules and Regulations, 2009.” [2] are both confidential documents. They are neither available…
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Enforcement Score: 0 / 100
The SPLM Code of Conduct and the “Sudan People’s Liberation Movement’s Rules and Regulations, 2009.” [1] are both confidential documents. They are not available…
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Training Score: 0 / 100
A search on the defence ministry [1], media sources [2] and interview [3] did not reveal any guidance provided to military personnel on the…
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47 0/100

Is there a Code of Conduct for all civilian personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?

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Code of conduct Score: 0 / 100
Currently the defence ministry does not have a code of conduct for civilian personnel working in the ministry. While the Civil Service Act 2011…
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Transparency Score: NA / 100
Currently the defence ministry does not have a code of conduct for civilian personnel working in the ministry. While the Civil Service Act 2011…
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Enforcement Score: NA / 100
Currently the defence ministry does not have a code of conduct for civilian personnel working in the ministry. While the Civil Service Act 2011…
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Training Score: NA / 100
Currently the defence ministry does not have a code of conduct for civilian personnel working in the ministry. While the Civil Service Act 2011…
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48 0/100

Does regular anti-corruption training take place for military and civilian personnel?

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Comprehensiveness Score: 0 / 100
In South Sudan, corruption is yet to be integrated into critical documents such as the SPLA Act, 2009, [1] the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement’s…
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Regularity Score: NA / 100
The lack of a comprehensive legislation has affected the potential for training. As South Sudan has no anti-corruption training, this indicator is marked Not…
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Coverage of personnel Score: NA / 100
The lack of a comprehensive legislation has affected the potential for training. As South Sudan has no anti-corruption training, this indicator is marked Not…
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49 0/100

Is there a policy to make public outcomes of the prosecution of defence services personnel for corrupt activities, and is there evidence of effective prosecutions in recent years?

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Policy Score: 0 / 100
South Sudan does not have policies that require defence institutions to make prosecutions publicly available. However, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act…
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Transparency Score: 0 / 100
Information regarding the prosecution of defence ministry officers for corruption remains largely unavailable to the public. While local and regional media often report on…
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Effectiveness Score: 0 / 100
Senior South Sudanese military officials have been implicated in multiple corruption investigation reports; [1], [2] however, there remains a conspicuous lack of transparency regarding…
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50 33/100

Are there effective measures in place to discourage facilitation payments (which are illegal in almost all countries)?

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Legal framework Score: 100 / 100
The SPLM Act of 2009 clearly discourages any involvement in facilitation payments. Specifically, Section 73 (c) on Nepotism and Corrupt Practices states that, “receives…
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Enforcement Score: 0 / 100
Information regarding the prosecution of defence ministry officers for corruption remains largely unavailable to the public. While local and regional media often report on…
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Prevalence Score: 0 / 100
Information regarding the prosecution of defence ministry officers for corruption remains largely unavailable to the public. While local and regional media often report on…
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0 NA/100

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Leadership Behaviour

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Q34 NA/100

Do the Defence Ministry, Defence Minister, Chiefs of Defence, and Single Service Chiefs publicly commit, through, for example, speeches, media interviews, or political mandates, to anti-corruption and integrity measures?

View Question
Q35 NA/100

Are there effective measures in place for personnel found to have taken part in forms of bribery and corruption, and is there evidence that these measures are being carried out?

View Question
Q36 NA/100

Is whistleblowing encouraged by the government, and are whistle-blowers in military and defence ministries afforded adequate protection from reprisal for reporting evidence of corruption, in both law and practice?

View Question
Q37 NA/100

Is special attention paid to the selection, time in post, and oversight of personnel in sensitive positions, including officials and personnel in defence procurement, contracting, financial management, and commercial management?

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Payroll, Promotions, Appointments, Rewards

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Q38 NA/100

Is the number of civilian and military personnel accurately known and publicly available?

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Q39 NA/100

Are pay rates and allowances for civilian and military personnel openly published?

View Question
Q40 NA/100

Do personnel receive the correct pay on time, and is the system of payment well-established, routine, and published?

View Question
Q41 NA/100

Is there an established, independent, transparent, and objective appointment system for the selection of military personnel at middle and top management level?

View Question
Q42 NA/100

Are personnel promoted through an objective, meritocratic process? Such a process would include promotion boards outside of the command chain, strong formal appraisal processes, and independent oversight.

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Conscription and Recruitment

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Q43 NA/100

Where compulsory conscription occurs, is there a policy of not accepting bribes for avoiding conscription? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?

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Q44 NA/100

is there a policy of refusing bribes to gain preferred postings? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?

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Salary Chain

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Q45 NA/100

Are chains of command separate from chains of payment?

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Values and Standards

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Q46 NA/100

Is there a Code of Conduct for all military personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?

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Q47 NA/100

Is there a Code of Conduct for all civilian personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?

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Q48 NA/100

Does regular anti-corruption training take place for military and civilian personnel?

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Q49 NA/100

Is there a policy to make public outcomes of the prosecution of defence services personnel for corrupt activities, and is there evidence of effective prosecutions in recent years?

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Q50 NA/100

Are there effective measures in place to discourage facilitation payments (which are illegal in almost all countries)?

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