Dr. Deng Diar Diing, the Executive Secretary of Northern Corridor Secretariat speaks to the media in Juba. (-)

An assessment by the Northern Corridor Secretariat reveals that around 3,200 people die of road accident in South Sudan annually, an alarming data indicating 29 deaths per every 10,000 people.

The secretariat’s Executive Secretary Dr. John Deng Diar Diing said the report places South Sudan among the countries with the highest road accident mortality rates in the region. He emphasized the need for effective road safety measures.

Mr. Diing said human factors account for 72% of these accidents—primarily due to reckless driving and unsafe road use, while stressing that targeted interventions are critical.

The transport official pointed out that road safety awareness campaigns have been developed to address the behaviors of all road users, including drivers, pedestrians, and communities residing along the roadways.

“We identified that most of the road accidents are caused by human factors. It’s about 72% of those accidents are caused by reckless driving or unsafe use of roads by road users,” he said during the launch of road safety awareness campaign in Juba on Tuesday.

“It’s when we formulated these road safety awareness campaigns. It is targeting the road users, both the drivers, the Pedestrians and the communities along our roads.”

Mr. Diing said the South Sudan government is being engaged at the national level to create policies aimed at protecting citizens and ensuring safer use of transit systems.

He added that this initiative is supported by a broader transport policy for the country, from which a legal framework, including road safety and road design acts, will be derived.

“South Sudan is currently supporting transport policy out of which we shall derive a legal framework that will be road safety acts and road design acts.”

“And to be on record, South Sudan loses about 29 people for every 10,000 people every year. That is about 3,100 to 3,200 people every year out of the 12 million population of the country. That is two years of a number and the second high is in the region.”

Collaborating with the government of South Sudan, the Northern Corridor Secretariat launched a Road Safety Awareness Campaign from 19th to 21st November 2024.

This initiative focuses on critical issues such as mitigating driver fatigue, encouraging compliance with traffic rules, and adopting eco-driving techniques to promote safety, cost savings, and fuel efficiency.

The Northern Corridor—a critical trade route linking six Member States via the Port of Mombasa. This includes Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda.