Bol Mel was part of a group of businessmen who made their fortunes siphoning off government funds during Juba’s economic boom (2005–11). In 2006, he partnered with Garang Deng Aguer, a Dinka businessman, also from the Abiem section of the Malual Dinka. Aguer had accumulated wealth during the 1990s, allegedly through embezzlement, and invested in ventures in Uganda, before being appointed governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal (2003–05).[1] In 2006, Bol Mel became the general manager of Aguer’s Alok consortium of companies and mysteriously acquired the land title for a hotel in Juba.[2] Contentions over this acquisition led to his suspension from Alok.
Bol Mel briefly left business, spending a year with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Rumbek before returning to launch his own ventures—including the Abiem Base Material Company (ABMC), which was soon renamed the Aggregate Building Material Company after he sold shares to a Thai businessman in a deal that also led to an influx of Thai labour and capital.[3] In 2011, he became the chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce in Juba, an influential bridge between the city’s political and business elites.
ABMC’s fortunes rose after the company became a conduit for Kiir to launder government funds back to his family (The Sentry, 2021). It secured lucrative, non-competitive road contracts, though only one of these roads was ever built. In December 2017, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on ABMC for corruption. In 2018, Bol Mel reincorporated ABMC as ARC Resources, without listing his name as a shareholder, but the corruption continued. In March 2019, Kiir’s regime awarded ARC a USD 1 billion contract for the Juba–Bor–Malakal road, with at least USD 100 million paid upfront (UNSC, 2020, p. 17).
Bol Mel has been instrumental in the ‘oil for roads’ programme. Since 2020, Kiir’s regime has issued a series of oil-for-roads construction contracts to companies linked to Bol Mel, including ARC and Winners Construction Company, both sanctioned by the United States. ARC has often been the biggest annual recipient of government revenue. By the end of 2024, some USD 2.2 billion had been allocated to it (UNHRC, 2025, p. 57).
There is no detailed reporting on the programme. Funds are directly deposited into the accounts of the contracted companies and almost none of the roads are built. The only completed road, between Juba and Bor, was massively overpriced, suggesting a major diversion of funds. The February 2024 shutdown of the Dar Blend export pipeline further strengthened Bol Mel’s position, as Nile Blend oil revenue from South Sudan’s other pipeline was almost entirely channelled into the programme (UNHRC, 2025).
[1] Author telephone interviews with confidential sources in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, September 2025.
[2] Author telephone interviews with confidential sources in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, September 2025.
[3] Author telephone interviews with confidential sources in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, September 2025.
| < PREVIOUS | NEXT > |