Truck drivers queue at Elegu border point in Elegu Town Council, Amuru District, Monday/ courtesy of Monitor

A clearance agent in Nimule town says dozens of protesting regional truck drivers at Uganda’s Elegu border area have now crossed into South Sudan after a confrontation with the Uganda police.

Mading John says truck drivers are protesting the increase in road users’ fees by the South Sudan government.

Mading who is the Secretary General of the South Sudan Clearance Agent Association told Eye Radio that, the traffic police have hiked the fee from 15,000 to 28,000 pounds since last week.

“That thing was there yesterday, but the Ugandan government has sent them to this [Nimule]side, they were tear-gassed by Ugandan police back here”

“If you [drivers] want to strike, go and strike in South Sudan but don’t strike on our side, so the trucks started moving yesterday  [Tuesday] around 2 pm.

According to him, just about 150 trucks out of 300 hundred have crossed to the Nimule side after the Ugandan police shot tear gas at them.

” Yesterday  [Tuesday], the trucks were over 300  but right now about 100 are already at the Nimule custom parking yard.”

The South Sudan traffic police are yet to comment on the matter.

Last year, in April, a similar protest by the cargo truck drivers paralyzed trade and hiked market prices in the country.

South Sudan, a landlocked country, depends almost entirely on imports ranging from food and other commodities.