South Sudan arrests ex-finance minister fleeing to Uganda with $30,000

NIMULE — South Sudanese security forces arrested former finance minister Bak Barnaba Chol on Friday night while attempting to cross into Uganda carrying tens of thousands of dollars in cash, security officials at the Nimule border said.

Chol was detained at around 8 p.m. near the South Sudan–Uganda frontier after authorities intercepted him along an informal route outside the official Elegu border crossing, according to two security officers who spoke to Sudans Post.

Officials said the former minister was travelling on a commercial motorcycle, commonly known as a bodaboda, when security personnel stopped him and discovered undeclared cash concealed in a travel bag.

“During the interception, he was arrested along with $30,000 USD and 27 million SSP hidden in a travel bag,” one security staffer said.

A second border official confirmed the seizure, saying, “He was trying to flee the country and was caught with a bag containing exactly $30,000 USD and 27 million SSP.”

Videos circulating on social media showed Chol in custody following what appeared to be a pursuit by security forces, with visible bloodstains on his clothing. In one recording, he is heard asking officers not to film him.

The arrest came a day after Chol handed over leadership of the finance ministry to his successor, Salvatore Garang Mabiordit, following his dismissal by President Salva Kiir earlier this week.

Chol had served slightly more than three months in the post. He previously held the same position between August 2023 and March 2024 and is also an academic at the University of Juba.

The government has not issued an official statement on the arrest.

The detention comes amid a broader wave of security actions targeting senior officials linked to South Sudan’s financial and security institutions, as authorities face growing economic pressures and scrutiny over public finances.

Earlier this week, former Bank of South Sudan governor Moses Makur Deng Manguak and former finance minister Marial Dongrin Ater was arrested in Rumbek and transferred to the capital on Thursday.

Security authorities have also detained Maj. Gen. Manasseh Machar Bol, a senior intelligence officer previously assigned to the petroleum ministry, and Deng Lual Wol, a former petroleum undersecretary who was reportedly held on Friday after appearing for questioning at National Security Service headquarters.

South Sudan has faced persistent challenges managing public finances since independence, with corruption allegations and weak oversight mechanisms continuing to weigh on investor confidence and economic stability.