Ateny Wek Ateny, South Sudan’s presidential spokesman has admitted that evacuation of foreign nationals from the region including traders has caused food crisis in South Sudan.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Ateny said neighbouring Kenya and Uganda decided to evacuate their citizens after clashes erupted in Juba, while advising their traders not to return back to South Sudan.
“Three quarters of goods and most of the traders come from Uganda and Kenya, so after the evacuation of the foreign nationals from South Sudan, those governments have directed their citizens not to travel to South Sudan” said Ateny.
However, the presidential spokesman pointed out that that they have contacts with the Ugandan government to solve the matter. “There are contacts between the two governments of South Sudan and Uganda” he said.
Ateny claimed that his government managed to provide security along the Juba-Nimule road for transportation of food from Uganda in an attempt to supply the market with food.
For their part, several traders in Juba reported rising prices and scarcity of consumer goods at the markets. They attributed the problem to looting of some shops by soldiers during the recent fighting between the government forces and armed opposition fighters in the capital Juba