South Sudan’s new national license plates will reduce cases of profiling by traffic police against drivers from other states or countries, the head of the Jonglei Traffic Police said.
Solomon Mabior Ruar, director of traffic police for Jonglei, said that some traffic officers have been targeting or intimidating drivers who come from other South Sudanese states.
Mabior said officers sometimes target those who have number plates from different states or appear to look like they are from other regions of South Sudan or other countries.
“There was intimidation, other states was actually victimized of their name…especially the traffic themselves, when they get vehicle written in that state and a state which they don’t want, they quarrel,” Mabior said.
Mabior said South Sudan’s new nationwide number plates, which do not differentiate between states, will reduce this type of discrimination.
He called on vehicle owners to hurry to purchase the new South Sudan plate numbers, noting that they are ready for the first 200 people to begin procedures to receive the new license plates.
“We have just started in Jonglei State, the former Central Equartoria State started some weeks ago and have now just started last week…we have not yet received number plates for motorbikes,” he said.
He said the plates are available for government, commercial vehicles, and private vehicles, while diplomatic and NGO plates need to be ordered.
Mabior said new registration of vehicles, including of log books and licenses for drivers, will help in tracing stolen vehicles.
“We are tracing stolen vehicles, a lot of them during the crises are in the wrong hands, we are trying to know where are they, through the process of renewing the numbers, you come with your documents, if it’s a commercial car, you come with the certificate of the business from the relevant authorities and then now you come with the insurance document which can let us know that the car is yours and is insured in your name,” Mabior said.
He said they are also trying to count how many total vehicles are in South Sudan.
Related:
South Sudan police reject vehicle license plates bearing names of 28 states (10 May)
Photo: Col Mabior Ruar