Unity state citizens flee to Juba
* Article
* Comments (50)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
*
*
*
*
By Bonifacio Taban Kuich
May 10, 2012 (BENTIU) - As the price of living continues to rise and
the North-South Sudan border conflict rumbles on, more than 100 people
leave Unity state every day according a manager of a local bus station
JPEG - 61.8 kb
Woman flees bombing raid near Benitu, Unity state, April 2012 (Getty)
Khartoum recently banned traders in bordering South Kordofan from
trading with Unity state in South Sudan, increasing the pressure on a
nation which shut itself off from 98 percent of its revenues, with the
halting of oil production in January.
On May 4, Pagan Amum, South Sudan’s chief negotiator with Sudan, said
that a trade embargo had been in place from May 2011; before the
independence of South Sudan. He also accused Khartoum of having a
“shoot to kill” policy for Sudanese citizens trading with the South
Sudan.
Traders in Unity state have responded to the embargo by increasing the
prices of basic commodities which they are often sourcing from Uganda,
via the South Sudan capital, Juba.
Major crop failures in 2011, as described in a South Sudan Ministry of
Agriculture January 2012 report, have also affected the price of food
stuffs.
Since South Sudan’s independence, relations between Juba and Khartoum
have not been as strained as they are now. Negotiations over the use
of the pipeline which transports landlocked South Sudan’s oil to the
coast of its northern neighbour and border demarcation have broken
down, leading to military hostilities. which began in March.
On 3 May the UN Security Council, with the backing of the African
Union, gave Sudan and South Sudan 48 hours to lay down their arms or
face sanctions. On Thursday the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir said
the threat would not alter his policies.
Mohamed Salah El-Niem, a North Sudanese trader who has lived in Unity
state for 12 years described the economic difficulty faced in the
state. He said “all items became expensive because of the dollar going
very high in Juba,” a situation he attributed to the ban of goods from
North Sudan and rising fuel costs, which has in turn impacted upon the
cost of transportation.
In the row over the use of the pipeline which passes through North
Sudan, Juba halted production in January; a move described as
“suicidal” by prominent Sudan expert, Alex de Waal. South Sudan relies
upon oil revenues for 98 percent of its budget.
Moses Gatthiang Yiew a manager for MTRO Peace Transportation Company
in Kalibalek told Sudan Tribune on Thursday that his transportation
company had registered 45 passengers travelling to Juba that day.
Many of the state’s citizens are going to the four bus stations in the
state capital, Benitu. For many, the lure of the country’s capital is
more affordable living, both in terms of accommodation and
commodities.
In Benitu the average price of a 50kg bag of maize flour was 150SSDG
[US$56] in March and has now rocketed to 230SSDG [US$86].
(ST)
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"South Sudan Info - The Kob" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
