Over 3000 trucks pile up at Elegu causing price hikes in Juba

By Winnie Cirino in Juba, South Sudan & Tebby Otieno in Nairobi, Kenya.

Hundreds of commercial trucks bringing goods into South Sudan from Uganda and Kenya have since Monday stopped at the border with drivers refusing to complete deliveries due to insecurity. 

A series of armed attacks on vehicles last month left at least 15 people dead.  The truckers say they won’t move until South Sudan can guarantee the roads are safe.

David Kirotho Mathinde, Chairman of the Kenyan Drivers Association said the Juba – Nimule and the Juba – Yei roads have claimed the lives of several foreign Truck Drivers in the last few months because the roads are not safe.

He said, no truck will leave for South Sudan if the government does not provide security along the roads.

“You see these guys have been hijacking people, not only hijacking people, but killing drivers, it has given us a very hard time, we are not happy.” Mathinde told The Insider.

“If the government of [South] Sudan is not going to take any action about those people who are killing our drivers, definitely even our bosses, we are going to discuss this issue with our government and make sure that no person will enter that country, not even a driver will enter that country because we do work with respect, that’s why even we go to dangerous zones.” He added.

Mathinde said they often sacrifice their lives to deliver food to countries like South Sudan and Congo facing food insecurity, and that it’s not fair that they are being targeted and yet they are saving lives.

Mathinde said, the Association several times raised the issue of insecurity along Juba main roads and nothing much has ever been done by the government of South Sudan. He said he is currently in touch with a government official who said they are going to investigate the recent attacks, but he said, all the drivers want, is protection.

“Let them make sure that we have full support of security from border to the end [or] last destination of dropping their goods. Let them make sure that we have the last solution and forever, no driver should be killed, no goods should be stolen.” He reiterated.

The Kenya Transporters Association Limited (KTA) also advised transporters operating between Kenya and South Sudan to withdraw their services with immediate effect until such time security is guaranteed.

Earlier this month, Dennis Ombok, Chief Executive Officer said in a press statement that foreign drivers who are already enroute to arrange with their clients to collect their goods at the customs yard in Elegu Border, the main gateway into South Sudan from the port of Mombasa, one of the 47 counties of Kenya located in the former Coastal Province of the country. 

“Following the increased incidences of insecurity, murder and violent crimes against foreign drivers such as killing and burning of drivers and setting ablaze of trucks currently being witnessed in South Sudan, we wish to advice transporters not to use the Yei-Juba road as there is no guaranteed security,” the statement partly reads.

No group his own attacks on civilians along the Yei – Juba, Kaya – Yei and Juba – Nimule roads. although Central Equatoria state officials accused National Salvation Front or NAS rebels led by Thomas Cirillo of carrying out these violent attacks on travelers.

The NAS spokesperson, Suba Samuel issued a statement distancing themselves from road killings in these areas.

“We are not aware of these road attacks or road ambushes whatsoever. What we know is our forces are engaging SSPPDF South of Juba, in Otogo, in Mugu and yesterday it was in Mukaya,” Samuel said.

Colonel Santo Domic, Deputy Spokesperson for South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) said the Chief of Staff visited the crime scene where 5 people were burned to ashes and has put plans to provide security on the major roads leading to Juba.

“It was resolved in the SSPDF strategic security meeting that the forces along the road from Juba to Nimule, as well as Juba to Yei (and) Yei to Kaya, have to be reinforced and they have already been re-enforcing since last Friday and the forces are there, we are going to locate a lot of detaches along those roads and of course it is impossible to close all the roads with the military but we are going to close all those gaps either by foot patrol or mechanize patrol.” Domic said.

The army will make sure that the roads are safe for the movement of all the business trucks, and for the humanitarian operations, according to Domic.

Daniel Deng, Chairperson of the Clearing Agents at the Nimule border said, there are about 3,000 trucks currently parked at the Ugandan border side, according to Authorities from the Amuru District of Northern Uganda. He said, if the standoff continues, he is worried it may affect prices of commodities in South Sudan since the country is so dependent on its neighboring country.

“Around 300 to 400 cargo enter per day in Nimule, [and] of course we are going to experience a negative impact if this strike continues since South Sudan depends on imports that is from the neighboring countries, as a landlocked country, and Nimule has the major port that South Sudan uses. Things will not be okay normally because there will be a scarcity of goods in the market and when there is scarcity of course the prices will shoot up.”

Deng said he has been informed that prices of fuel have slowly started hiking, from 450 South Sudanese Pounds to 550 South Sudanese Pounds.

Deng said a team headed by the Director of customs service left Juba for Nimule today, and they will hold talks with the Truck Drivers to address their concerns so that they can transport the pending goods to South Sudan.

Last week, 5 people were killed, and 3 others were injured after gunmen ambushed trucks at an area called Kit two on the Juba-Nimule road. And last month at least nine civilians were killed in two separate attacks along Juba-Yei road.

Central Equatoria information minister Paulino Lukudu says he hopes NAS leader Thomas Cirilo will actively engage in ongoing peace talks between the government and holdout groups under the coalition called the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance in Naivasha, Kenya.

David Mono Danga contributed to this story. The feature image is of trucks packed in Juba South Sudan