Main points

• Corruption has been a pervasive problem in South Sudan since its independence from Sudan in 2011. The country ranks as one of the countries with the highest level of perceived public sector corruption in the world, according to Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index. Corruption affects all levels of government and economic sectors, with most nominally independent institutions de facto captured by the executive branch.
• The level of violence has not decreased in all regions in the aftermath of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), and political stability in the country remains precarious.
• The government appears to have limited capacity or willingness to counter corruption and deliver the reforms foreseen in the R-ARCSS.
• South Sudan is one of the world’s most oil-dependent countries, and the oil industry remains a major driver of rent-seeking behaviour in the country, exerting considerable influence over political dynamics.