South Sudan accuses Khartoum of deliberate closure of commercial routes
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By Ngor Arol Garang
June 7, 2011 (JUBA)-The Government of South Sudan (GoSS) on Tuesday
accused north Sudan’s government of deliberately closing all
commercial routes to the south.
JPEG - 17.4 kb
Khartoum to Juba road (WFP)
Political and military tensions are rising between the regions as
South Sudan is set to officially become an independent nation on 9
July, after majority of the citizens voted overwhelmingly in favour of
secession from the rest of the country during a referendum conducted
in January 2011. Some 98% of the eligible voters voted for separation
against unity option.
Although Omer Al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, accepted the results,
high ranking officials from South Sudan have often accused Khartoum of
working to topple the Juba-based government, under the leadership of
the former rebel movement turned political party, the Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement (SPLM).
“The government in Khartoum is not happy to see people of south Sudan
living in peace. It says one thing and does another. It is not
sleeping. It is working day and night to sabotage peace and
development in the area. It has adopted detrimental policies”, says
Stephen Dhieu Dau, minister of trade and industry in GoSS said in an
interview with Sudan Tribune on Monday.
Dau accused Khartoum of having deliberately blocked commercial routes
as part of the political pressure in the bargaining on post referendum
arrangements and issues including borders.
“The government in Khartoum has directed its security apparatus and
other armed groups to intensify monitoring of commercial activities
along the border areas. This has resulted into stoppage of vehicles
that are carrying goods including food items to the south. Food items
are now very expensive and there is also a problem of fuel. They do
not allow fuel to enter the south”, said Dau.
Sudan Tribune spoke to a number residents of Juba who complained about
the soaring fuel and food prices in the town. Garang Mathok Lual, a
senior civil servant in GoSS said in a separate interview with Sudan
Tribune on Tuesday at South Sudan Legislative Assembly that fuel and
food prices have recently been on the upsurge.
“There is a big problem now with fuel. Some people have already
grounded their vehicles because they cannot afford buy it. Fuel prices
have gone beyond double charges. One litre of fuel which used to be
two pounds is now sold out at 15 pounds and it is not available in
most stations. All small fuel stations in Juba have been closed. Fuel
has remained only in strategic places where its sale is also
controlled by the government. There is only one petrol station that
has fuel in Juba where thousands of vehicles, motorbike and individual
are making lines to buy the fuel”, explained Lual.
Colonel Alfred Duku of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) said
the government in Khartoum is behaving like “a wild dog” as the South
Sudanese vote for secession will be implemented soon in the official
declaration of the statehood of South Sudan in July.
Duku emphasised the South Sudanese resolve in the face of such
hardships, “We have been struggling for 22 years walking on foot and
eating anything until peace was signed”.
(ST)
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