Torrential rains have severely disrupted trade and the movement of food and non-food items between Sudan’s Dein town in East Darfur State and Gokmachar of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State in South Sudan, a local government official revealed on Monday.

The Dein-Gokmachar road is one of the vital trade routes and commercial corridors for goods transiting from Sudan to South Sudan via Northern Bahr el Ghazal State. The route is suspended yearly from June to January due to seasonal flooding and the rising levels of the Akiir Adem River.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, several traders and citizens in Aweil North County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, said there was a shortage of goods because the Dein-Gokmachar route was flooded.

A Sudanese trader based in Aweil North, Mohammed Ibrahim, said the floods had affected business and revealed that many Sudanese merchants were stranded at the northern bank of the Kiir Adem River.  

“The goods are now coming slowly because all the activities were suspended during the rains,” Ibrahim said. “Traders from Sudan transport goods up to the northern bank of Kiir Adem where South Sudanese bring the items on carts until they reach Aweil North.”

Dau Deng, an Aweil North County resident, said flooding on the trade route had led to commodity prices skyrocketing.

“Yes, this road is so beneficial because many goods come to Gokmachar through it and the people buy them at affordable prices,” Deng said. “But now so many places on the commercial route have been overtaken by the waters.”

The Aweil North County chamber of commerce boss, Kur Atak, said the Kiir Adem River has burst its banks and is flowing swiftly which has hindered the shipment of goods from neighboring Sudan to Northern Bahr el Ghazal via the county. He said the few available commodities are now imported from Juba and Uganda.

“The Kiir Adem River is still flowing very fast. The truckers from Sudan offload on the river bank and the people from here pick the goods from there,” Atak said.

Aweil North County commissioner Victerino Ken Akoon admitted that the floods affected the movement of goods from Sudan but revealed that commodities started trickling in on Thursday.