Malakal traders complain of bad roads, many checkpoints Sudan Radio Service Malakal, 23/07/12 – Traders in Malakal are complaining that poor roads and many checkpoints on the way affect the flow of goods and services delivery in Upper Nile state. They say that the reason why prices of goods have doubled in the market is because they are delayed at various checkpoints paying taxes, and it takes them long to reach their final destination. Simon Cher is one of the business men he said, “the biggest problem in this country now is transport; you can imagine after the independence of South Sudan, there is no action from the government of South Sudan for road networks because it helps transportation system. Things are very expensive in the market today simply because of lack of transport. For example, to transport a bag of consumable goods from here to Malut, it costs 1 hundred South Sudanese Pounds and a metric ton costs 1 thousand S-S-P. So this affects most of the goods that are available now. The first thing we need from the government is the improvement of transport system in the country.” Responding to the complaints raised by traders, the state minister of Finance, Awer Ayung, said the government will address the issue. “I am very sure that if God takes us through next season and when we end this rainy season, there will be national highways connecting Malakal to Nasir and to Jekou. I am very sure that next year it will reach Jekou, and at the same time we will also connect Fankak in Maywut that will be landing in Malut and come to Malakal. That means people of Akobo and other counties will not complain of price hike in the market because by then, people will have forgotten that problem because after this rainy season, all the roads will have opened,” said Ayung. Road network is generally poor in the country.
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