Just above the palm trees, falcons soar through the sky. Once night falls – and according to Moses, this is the most important rule – you must not leave the hotel.

Soldiers roam between the embassy compounds and ministries, in the labyrinth of corrugated iron huts. They are drunk, bored and haven’t been paid for months; apart from their uniforms, says Moses, little distinguishes them from the gangs that have carved up Juba among themselves.

Cash is king, says the second rule. Anyone with dollars in their pocket has the advantage. Rule three, ‘Money talks’, functions in South Sudan as a kind of litany; the dollar is credited with the power to resolve any difficulties (...)

 

Reports on South Sudan, published in DIE PRESSE (text in German, weekend supplement Spectrum, 30 May 2026) and in the Tyrolean newspaper 20er (April 2026 issue)

 

South Sudan is the world’s youngest state. Oil accounts for 90 per cent of state revenue and finances both government troops and the militias. Whilst a large part of the population lives in poverty, billions of dollars in loans and bribes are circulating.