File Photo; Elegu entry point/Eye Radio

Ugandan truck drivers have stopped sending cargo into South Sudan over soaring insecurity along major highways.

On Sunday, the Central Equatoria state government said at least 10 people were killed in three separate ambushes along the Juba-Yei road.

Again on Thursday, an attack on a passenger vehicle and trucks resulted in the death of five people along the Juba-Nimule highway.

This prompted the Kenya Transporters’ Association to advise its members to suspend travels into South Sudan following the killings.

Now, the Ugandan cargo transporters say they will not send trucks into South Sudan over the heightened insecurity.

Among the dead were three Ugandan drivers and one South Sudanese driver.

“We have not yet got the solution from the two governments,” said William Basuulwa-the Chairperson of Uganda National Transport Alliance.

“As of now, we have stopped loading any cargo going to South Sudan. Those who have already loaded, let them put the cargo at the border,”  Mr. Basuulwa added.

Traders not targeted

Meanwhile, the government of South Sudan says the recent attacks on vehicles along major highways are not targeted.

Conveying the government’s condolences to the families of Ugandan and Kenyan nationals lost in the attack, South Sudan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation says the government is also dismayed at the ongoing killings.

“We want to assure our neighbors Kenya and Uganda that it has never been any plan of the body to target any citizen, it has been very unfortunate that these activities happened within our country and we condemned this as a government,” said Deng Dau.

“We will investigate the incidents and our security forces will be able to share information with their counterparts in Uganda and with Kenya.”

The government blames the attacks on armed groups opposed to the Juba regime.

But the National Salvation Front-NAS distanced itself from the violence, blaming criminals within the SSPDF for the attacks.