The washing away of sections of a major highway in South Sudan – built by the Chinese in exchange for future deliveries of oil – has triggered the ire of South Sudan’s bloggers, who label their country “China’s cash cow”, “China’s colony” and “a victim of China’s development trap” in their posts on the social media.

Examples:

“Media personalities working for international media houses, please help us bring this daylight robbery to the world’s attention. South Sudan is nothing but a cash cow for China. Oil fields are all contaminated and now this.”

“Biggest scam ever. Chinese are undertaking substandard projects in South Sudan because authorities never bother about them. It started in oil fields, in Juba’s electricity grid & now the Juba-Rumbek high road. We need to boycott Chinese projects.”

“#Chinese-made tarmac highway in South Sudan was washed away by rainwater last night. South Sudan’s government paid Chinese with crude oil to tarmac this highway…. #WakeUpAfrica”

“The ‘new look’ of the so-called “Juba to Rumbek Road” that’s being built by Chinese contractors in exchange for crude oil…Washed-out and broken-up by yesterday’s rains. How & what exactly is being used to build these roads?”