The report by the Enough Project says the circle of violence in South Sudan is motivated by the interest of the leaders to control the scarce resources.

The Sentry report launched on Monday in Washington DC alleges that President Salva Kiir and former First Vice President, Dr Riek Machar and senior army leaders have squandered millions of dollars outside and within the country.

George Clooney, who is the founder of the Sentry program, said the current war in South Sudan is not about changing the system but about who controls it spoils.

He said foreign companies have made direct payments and large financial transactions involving politically exposed persons, and their families.

Clooney also said lawyers have played a crucial role in facilitating the embezzlement of funds to international actors who profit from instability and continued violence.

Another official of The Sentry project, Actor and Activist, Don Cheadle, says the transactions into private accounts of senior South Sudanese leaders have continued despite the harsh economic situation.

“These families of top government officials – we have examined – live in multi-dollar mansions outside of the country,” Mr Cheadle told the media.

“They post pictures. They post videos partying in hotels, driving around luxury cars –while the rest of the people in their country suffer from the consequences of a brutal civil war, and in many places experience near-famine conditions.”

John Prendergast, also a co-founder of the Enough Project, said the investigations only targeted individuals identified by the UN to be actively involved in the conflict that begun in 2013.

“It’s an attempt to get to the nexus of what drives violent conflicts and mass atrocities in South Sudan, the connection between an endemic corruption and deadly violence,” Mr Prendergast stressed.

“The Sentry focuses on top officials identified by the UN and by the African Union as having command authority over military operations that resulted in widespread human right crimes since December 2013.”

The government says it will sue The Enough project for what it calls; defamation.

President Salva Kiir’s spokesperson, Ateny Wek told Aljazeera Television this morning that a lawyer will be hired to take The Sentry to court.