South Sudan has resumed cross border trade with neighbouring Uganda, ending weeks of the strike by truck drivers.
The Uganda National Transport Alliance has reportedly suspended transport shipments to and from South Sudan. The action is in response to repeated attacks against truck drivers in southern South Sudan since late March.
At least four attacks, leaving as many as 15 people dead, have been reported along the Yei-Juba and Juba Nimule routes.
After days of a surge in basic commodity prices, a line of trucks carrying varieties of commodities entered Juba on Tuesday afternoon.
Deputy foreign minister, Deng Dau Malek revealed on Tuesday that drivers have resumed movement after receiving assurance of safety following the deployment of forces to patrol the road.
Malek said that “there is a new development today. The trucks which were on the Ugandan side of the border have crossed today and some of them have already entered Juba town. I am told they reached this afternoon,”
He pointed that prices of commodities will return to normal after the arrival of trucks loaded with different types of basic commodities.
Traders stopped circulating between South Sudan and Uganda to protest the insecurity caused by looting and bloody attacks along the Juba-Nimule Road. They also cited extortion by armed forces and multiple illegal taxations.
The resumption followed talks and meetings involving South Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia whose nationals are involved in the movement on the Juba-Nimule Road.
Malek assured the traders that security forces have increased their deployment along the road to prevent the attacks.