It was a little-publicised but devastating blow: having withdrawn its political support for Salva Kiir (The Indian Ocean Newsletter from 02/02/2018), the Trump administration targeted the revenues of the South Sudanese president at the beginning of this year by imposing economic sanctions on Benjamin Bol Mel, a discreet figure in the South Sudanese establishment who is married to one of the president's nieces.

Bol Mel is one of the businessmen with ready access to the president's office who, in his