N. Bahr el Ghazal: Cross-border trade suspended due to insecurity, heavy rains

(radiotamazuj.org)

Insecurity and heavy rains have led to the suspension of cross-border trade between South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal State and West Kordofan State in Sudan, traders and local officials have said. 

Last week, local authorities in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State said 10 South Sudanese, including three South Sudan People’s Defense Forces’ (SSPDF) soldiers, were killed by suspected Misseriya pastoralists from Sudan in the War Ayen area. Eight children were also kidnapped, four of whom were later recovered in Aweil East County. 

The assailants reportedly tortured locals and looted property. 

Several traders in Awarwar, Wanyjok, and other towns along the border told Radio Tamazuj over the weekend that there was no movement of goods and travellers along the Aweil-Meiram road following the deadly incidents.  

A vendor who identified himself as Mou Akot in Awarwar town in Aweil East County said commodity prices were soaring after the closure of the vital trade route. 

“There are no trade activities and prices are increasing because some people were killed last week on the Majak Woy route and that led to the closure of the Meiram-Aweil road and no goods vehicles are coming from Sudan nowadays,” he said. “50 kg of wheat flour has now shot up to SSP 70,000, 50 kg of sugar is now SSP 75,000 and 100 kg of sorghum rose to 65,000.”

Another trader in Wanyjok town in the same county, Mayen Yai, confirmed that commodity prices are skyrocketing and said local traders have no money to procure goods from Juba, which is far compared to Sudan. 

“Goods are expensive because nothing is coming from Sudan via Meiram,” he said. “This  issue is affecting us because we are unable to import the goods from Juba due to the huge US dollar exchange rates.”

However, traders in Aweil North County said that no insecurity has been reported along the Al Daein-Gokmachar passage but that heavy rains have hampered the importation of goods from Sudan.

“The Al Daein-Gokmachar road has been affected by the start of the rains and since Friday, no goods trucks have arrived in Gokmachar from Sudan,” said Kur Atak, a member of the Aweil North Country Chamber of Commerce.