Commercial Trucks Refusing to Enter South Sudan Because of Insecurity

JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN - Hundreds of commercial trucks carrying goods bound for South Sudan have stopped at the borders this week, with drivers refusing to complete deliveries because of insecurity. A series of armed attacks on vehicles in South Sudan last month left at least 15 people dead. The truckers say they won't leave Uganda and Kenya until their safety can be guaranteed.

David Kirotho Mathinde, chairman of the Kenyan Drivers Association, said attacks on roads linking Juba to the towns of Nimule and Yei have claimed the lives of several foreign truckers in recent months. 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," Mathinde said. " . . . If the government of (South) Sudan is not going to take any action ... we are going to discuss this issue with our government and make sure that no person will enter that country."