The Nimule parking yard is empty as cargo trucks have remained across the border in Elegu/Courtesy photo.

Western diplomats in South Sudan’s capital Juba say the transitional government is yet to take concrete steps to reduce the costs of delivering aid due to checkpoints and other illicit efforts to extract revenue from humanitarian aid operations.

“We call on the transitional government to take concrete steps to reduce the costs of delivering aid, exacerbated by checkpoints and other illicit efforts to extract revenue from humanitarian aid operations,’ according to their joint statement on Wednesday.

They are diplomats from Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the  European Union.

They also stressed that ending the humanitarian crisis requires an environment conducive to substantial economic growth and reduced dependency.

“Such an environment will only be possible if the transitional government meets its peace commitments, introduces transparency and accountability, and prioritizes the use of public revenue to meet public needs,”

According to them, the international community has provided more than 1 billion US dollars in humanitarian assistance in South Sudan this year alone.

But despite this, they said ‘ We are all appalled by the conflict in Sudan which has created dire additional humanitarian needs and has placed an extra burden on the South Sudanese people.”

The diplomatic missions say they “expect the transitional government to be a full partner in the effort to ease suffering and save lives in South Sudan by increasing its financial contribution to the humanitarian effort.”