17 commercial trucks confiscated at Nimule and Nesitu for crossing into South Sudan without being tested. (Photo: Logonyi Denis)

The National Bureau of Standards said it confiscated 17 commercial trucks carrying substandard and smuggled goods destined for Juba from Nimule town and Nesitu checkpoint on Wednesday.

The development comes after South Sudan and Uganda Bureau of Standards agreed on several measures to fight substandard goods being shipped between the two countries.

The Bureau’s chairperson, Dr Kuorwel Kuai Kuorwel says the institution’s technical team discovered the illegal transiting of goods through a routine examination.

Dr. Kuai says the trucks loaded with assorted goods were imported by four Juba-based suppliers.

According to him, these were suppliers from Brazil, India, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

“The truckers were imported by 4 Juba-based suppliers. These trucks originated from Brazil, India, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam,” Kuai Kuorwel told state-owned television SSBC on Wednesday.

The inspection officers at the border said out of the 17 trucks, 5 were loaded with sugar and were smuggled to Juba without laboratory examination to determine if they are safe for consumption.

“A search done by the National Bureau of Standards revealed that out of the 17 trucks, 5 trucks loaded with sugar smuggled through the Nimule border to Juba without Laboratory tests inspection as required.”

He stated that the Bureau is taking legal measures against the violators for forgery and smuggling.

“We will categorize them into three forgery and smuggling This is a clear case that a track legal procedure for those who have done that.”

On January 14, 2024, Uganda and South Sudan bureau of standards resolved to jointly clamp down on cross-border trade in counterfeit goods by ensuring better standard and quality of their respective exports.

The meeting co-chaired by Dr Kuai and his Ugandan counterpart Mr. Nangalama Daniel Richard Makayi, also discussed the quality of other perishable goods including fruits and vegetables, dairy products, chicken and chicken products.

In May 2023, South Sudan Bureau of Standards impounded 62 Uganda trucks loaded with maize grains after a lab test found the items contained dangerous chemicals.

A South Sudanese clearance official at the Nimule border point said samples from the shipment were confirmed with high aflatoxin after the grains were subjected to several laboratory tests by the South Sudan National Bureau of Standards.

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxin produced by certain mold species that can contaminate crops and pose health risks to humans and animals if consumed.

Uganda protested the impounding of its goods and questioned the credibility of the test carried out in South Sudan.

However, an independent test carried out by regional experts showed that the maize products previously rejected by South Sudan have an above-normal level of the aflatoxin chemical.

Kampala then agreed to destroy tons of the locally produced maize consignments.