South Sudan’s Oil and Water Give It Bargaining Power – but Will It Benefit the People?

Feb 12, 2023 | Harry Verhoeven and Francois Sennesael
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Much of Africa has spent 2022 facing sharp increases in the costs of energy and food driven by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the strengthening of the US dollar. South Sudan has long been one of east Africa’s most unstable states. But surging external interest in its resources and the diplomatic agility of its rulers are again underlining how pivotal the country remains to regional energy and water politics. New investment could affirm South Sudan’s status as east Africa’s largest oil producer. The country is a member of OPEC+, a grouping of oil exporting countries. It currently pumps an estimated 150,000 to 170,000 barrels a day.

The country’s elites see South Sudan’s energy and water potential as leverage instruments in the region, which is likely to result in the exploitation of these resources in ways that might not benefit most citizens. South Sudan remains, by most estimates, the least electrified country on the planet.