In a letter that reveals a shocking level of government corruption, South Sudan President Salva Kiir has asked more than 75 former and current senior government officials to return an estimated $4bn in stolen funds to the country.
Corruption has plagued South Sudan's government since the 2005 peace deal that ended more than 20 years of civil war with Sudan.
In January, South Sudan's auditor general reported that nearly $1.5bn in government funds were unaccounted for from the 2005-06 fiscal year.
"Yet, once we got to power, we forgot what we fought for and began to enrich ourselves at the expense of our people.""We fought for freedom, justice and equality," the president's letter reads.
The letter was dated May 3 and was obtained by the Associated Press news agency over the weekend.
Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the country's information minister confirmed its authenticity on Monday.
The president wrote that South Sudan's citizens and the international community were "alarmed" by the levels of corruption and that "the credibility of our government is on the line".
He promised amnesty for officials who return stolen funds and to keep the identities of those officials confidential.
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Source: Al Jazeera
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