Trade between Kampala and Juba has nearly ground to a halt after recent fighting in South Sudan, with only less than five trucks crossing the Elegu- Nimule border a day.
“There are only one or two vehicles which enter everyday but I don’t know the reason for why not the trade movement has not resumed until now,” the deputy chairperson of South Sudan Chamber of Commerce Lado Lukak said on Sunday.
Lukak however said they don’t have an office in Nimule to conduct further investigations, but a check at Arua Park, the hub of business between Kampala and South Sudan, established that business had almost come to a standstill, with a few passenger buses and goods trucks attempting the route.
Meanwhile, the prices of goods in Juba have continued to rise amid shortages due to looting of some shops and markets during the fighting. Insecurity on the Juba- Yei road has also contributed to the lack of supplies coming into the country, and the decreasing value of the South Sudanese pound has also made goods more expensive.
Recently, the government of Uganda sent troops to South Sudan to rescue Ugandans and people of other nationalities who had been caught up in the fighting between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his vice president Riek Machar.
The fighting that has reportedly claimed over 300 lives, has also affected various social and economic activities in the world’s youngest nation.
