Unity State demands disbursement of 3% oil share

BENTIU — Leaders from Unity State, an oil-rich region in South Sudan, have called on the Ministry of Finance to immediately release the 3 percent share of oil revenue allocated to oil-producing areas, citing mounting financial pressures and urgent development needs.

Leaders from Unity State during a one-day roundtable organized by the Civil Society Coalition on Natural Resources (CSCNR) that took place in Bentiu on Thursday.

The roundtable brought together state legislators, traditional leaders, women and youth representatives, business groups, and civil society actors.

William Gatluak Nyuot, the Chairperson of the Planning & Finance Committee in the Unity State Legislative, said delays in disbursing the 3% oil share are undermining service delivery.

“In 2025, we were told the Minister of Finance released the funds to the CDC accounts, but when we checked the accounts, there was no physical cash to be withdrawn,” Gatluak said in a statement seen by Sudans Post on Friday.

Gatluak requested the immediate release of funds, stating that the money is necessary for enhancing basic services, addressing environmental issues, and supporting local infrastructure in oil-producing counties.

He acknowledged the role played by Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) and Sudd Petroleum Operating Company (SPOC) in sponsoring some sons and daughters of the state to various universities in South Sudan.

“In 2024, about 1,014 students were being sponsored within. In 2025, the numbers increased; there were recorded malpractices in the scholarship scheme offered by the companies,” he said.

He claimed that many students from other states, particularly from Warrap State, entered the scholarship program in an unethical manner, which compromised the program’s integrity.

“The companies have recruited some science and arts teachers, of which Mayom has received 8 teachers and Rubkona 16. These teachers are paid directly by the companies.”

He stated that the companies have employed two medical doctors in Rubkona and eight in Bentiu State Hospital to tackle health challenges.

On his part, William Gatgwan, MP in the Unity State Legislative Assembly, said that “Even in Koch County, where oil production is taking place, there is no connection between the state capital and the county. We have never seen anything done with the CDC funds since 2013 in all 7 counties.”

He stated that all the governors have not adequately informed the population about the use of the 3% funds and how they benefit the community.

“There is total secrecy and fund management devoid of transparency and accountability in the management of petroleum revenues,” he said.

“The people are suffering; women are producing children with deformities. I have a child who was born in Koch; he is now 6 years old and can’t talk.”

In July 2023, the Committee on Finance and Economic Planning of the National Assembly said it has ordered the suspension of the remittance of the 3% oil share for communities in Unity State after discovering that it has been going to individual pockets.

The suspension came after the Unity State Government failed to establish the community development committee and the community to manage the 3% oil share.