Authorities along the border between Upper Nile state of South Sudan and White Nile state of Sudan have cited tougher measures at border crossings in the wake of the Addis Ababa agreements between the two countries.

Crowds of citizens are waiting at the border to cross, including medical patients and students, while roads remain closed.

Adouk Lual, the director of the administrative unit of Joda, said that there is a state of alert among the citizens waiting to cross the border after the agreement, but the authorities in White Nile state made ​​it harder for traffic to cross, increasing the number of students and patients in Upper Nile waiting to cross.

The majority have not been allowed to pass, and they have been asked to bring and complete some papers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He expressed his surprise at the unexpected and sudden tightening of the border crossing procedures within four days of the agreement, indicating that “before it was not like that and now the roads are closed and the crossing process has stopped,” at a time of joy because of the signing of border cooperation agreements on oil and security and other matters.

Lual hoped for the implementation of the agreements on the ground, pointing out that he had addressed the authorities of the administrative unit of Joda North, but they told him they did not receive any instructions on opening the border roads and they are waiting for such instructions.