Truckers resume cargo transport as Juba commits to provide security

By Garang Malak

By KABONA ESIARA

Truck drivers from East Africa have agreed to end their two-week strike and resume transportation of cargo into South Sudan after authorities agreed to provide armed escorts.

Truckers were protesting against insecurity and a spate of attacks on highways in South Sudan.

Byron Kinene, the chairman of the Regional Lorry Drivers and Transporters Association, said South Sudan agreed to some of their demands, including having officers from the National Police and South Sudan Peoples Defence Force provide security for drivers on the highways.

“The efforts to resolve the drivers’ grievances have been reached by a team led by deputy Commissioner General of the National Revenue Authority and the Commissioner of Customs-Division,” South Sudan Clearing Agents and Freight Forwarders Association (SSCAFFA) said in a statement seen by The EastAfrican on Tuesday.

“Therefore, all clearing agents are requested to start work immediately as soon as they receive papers. And those dealing with fuel consignment are directed to undertake the procession immediately.”

The association asked the drivers to adhere to arranged parking destinations to avoid overcrowding and hasten clearance of goods.

The striking drivers had pitched camp at Elegu, protesting against attacks, kidnappings and looting of their cargo by armed militia on South Sudan highways.

A clearing agent at Elegu, Uganda’s northern border with South Sudan, told The EastAfrican that trucks have started crossing to South Sudan.

The strike led to the cutting off of supplies to South Sudan as Elegu is the major entry point for goods from Kenya’s Mombasa and Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam ports.