South Sudan’s government says it has agreed to provide security escorts to all commercial trucks moving along the major highways across the country saying that should allow truck drivers to resume movement into South Sudan by Saturday.
“The government is going to provide security to all truck drivers coming to the country, the Juba-Nimule, Kaya -Yei roads are now having forces everywhere. The commercial trucks will be traveling with escorts and no truck will be allowed to move without escorts,” Maj. Gen Akol Ayii Madut, Director General of South Sudan’s Customs Service told Juba ECHO over the Phone from Elegu on Friday.
Ayii revealed that there will be at least two soldiers in each truck because the drivers are also complaining about the many checkpoints on the highway.
He said that the government is going to remove the check points.
“We met with truck drivers on Thursday and discussed a lot of issues, there were 11 points and we resolved 10 of them. The truck drivers raised a point that they need compensation for those killed since the conflict started in South Sudan from 2013 to 2021 and assurance on the road for fear of losing their lives,” Ayii disclosed.
He further said the high-level team of the government who attended talks with four East African Ambassadors on Friday included, SSPDF Chief of Defense Forces, Johnson Juma Okot, Inspector General of Police, Majak Akech and the Director-General of Internal Security Akol Khoor, Deputy Commissioner General of the National Revenue Authority, Africano Mande
Thousands of trucks have been parked at the Elegu border post following protest from Ugandan and Kenyan truck drivers over the recent killings of their colleagues along the Juba-Nimule and Juba-Yei roads.
Gunmen last week opened fire on vehicles at Kit 2 area along Juba-Nimule road killing five people.
That followed killing of nine (9) people along Juba-Yei road which included eight Ugandans.
The protest by truck drivers has led to scarcity of essential commodities in South Sudan and rise in prices of goods.
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