When civil war broke out in South Sudan in December 2013, civil servants found themselves at the centre of a deep political and economic crisis. The state was, and remains, the largest employer, surpassing private companies and NGOs. In 2015, the approved national budget accounted for 465,041 government personnel. Over 85% were engaged in security-related functions. Despite the absence of official statistics, observations confirm that the civil service has not shrunk over the years. As the conf