By Juliet Nalwooga
Ugandan truck drivers have joined their East African community counterparts to suspend transportation of cargo to South Sudan due to escalating violence and insecurity.
The Chairperson Regional Lorry, Drivers & Transporters Association Byron Kinene says they have taken the decision for fear of losing their lives until normality returns to the region.
Truck drivers from Kenya, Tanzania, and DR Congo are protesting the killing of their colleagues and loss of merchandise to armed groups in South Sudan
The development comes days after the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) warned Ugandans against traveling to South Sudan without the backing of the country’s army or police.
Several ambushes have been often staged along the Juba-Nimule highway in which truck drivers and passengers have either been shot dead, robbed, or injured.
Relatedly, the Minister of State for international relations Okello Henry Oryem is in South Sudan, to engage with his counterpart to ensure the security and safety of Ugandans traveling to South Sudan.
