Family Tree

The Sentry identified seven of President Salva Kiir’s children as shareholders of South Sudanese companies, along with his wife, Mary Ayen Mayardit,^[193] and nieces and nephews. Two of Kiir’s grandchildren also own companies, including some that were passed down from their parents.^{[80] [37] [14]} 

Kiir’s brother-in-law, Gregory Vasili Dimitry Yalouris, an army general and former governor of Gogrial state who was sanctioned by the US in 2018,^[181] is a shareholder in 39 companies.^[197] The Sentry identified members of Vasili’s family, including eight of his children—the nieces and nephews of Kiir—as shareholders in South Sudanese companies.

The use of children, particularly minors, as proxies for the political elite is a strategy to avoid scrutiny and even evade sanctions.^[206] Many times, the children and grandchildren of Kiir and Vasili were minors or in their early 20s when they became shareholders.^{[109] [41] [42] [43] [10] [114] [135] [14] [138] [17] [88] [5] [148] [21] [143] [7] [22] [23] [57] [142] [131] [37]}