Juba River Port construction plan. (Photo: Courtesy).

The National Minister of Transport has revealed that construction on the Juba River Port has been put on hold due to legal disputes involving the site.

South Sudan and Japan signed the 13.5 million-dollar deal for the development of a modern river port in December 2023.

The project, which is being implemented by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims to boost the economic and social development of the country.

However, Transport Minister Madut Biar told a cabinet meeting on Friday the port construction has been paused due to the presence of military personnel resisting relocation order at the site.

According to the Deputy Minister of Information Jacob Korok, another challenge raised by the transport minister is the issue of some plots allocated to some individual around the project area.

In a media briefing, Korok said the cabinet decided that the dispute with plot owners should be decided by the court after which the construction will resume.

“There are two main challenges, first, there is actually the presence of some the other government personnel within the fencing of the project site. The minister tried to actually to evacuate them but there was a lot of resistance,” Korok said.

“The other issue also within the site of the project is that there are some plot given to individuals. Their cases still in the court, and is yet to resolved.”

“So the minister tabled the concerns and the Council of Ministers have decided that this case actually should wait until court resolve the issue.”

The Juba River Port Project was launched in 2012 but construction was halted due to civil war and COVID-19 pandemic.