The commissioner of Central Equatoria State’s Lainya County is calling on the state government to rehabilitate the Mafi Bridge linking Yei, Lainya, and Morobo counties to Juba.
Emmanuel Khamis Richard told Radio Tamazuj Wednesday that with the recent heavy rains and poor roads, the bridge may break down hindering movement and the delivery of basic services.
“This road has stayed for long without being rehabilitated and due to heavy rains, a number of bridges including the Mafi Bridge are being washed off and it is in bad shape. I want to appeal to the national, state, and partners to urgently help to fix the bridge because if nothing is done, Yei, Morobo, and Lainya will not be accessed and for us to deliver humanitarian assistance and other basic social services, there should be good road and bridges.”
Mohamed Alison, a commercial driver along the Juba-Yei road confirmed that the poor state of bridges exposes the travelers to insecurity and has led to high transport costs.
Alison warns that if nothing is done, drivers will suspend movement along the Yei-Juba road till the dry season. Alison said drivers spend several hours and days moving to Yei and vice versa.
“If this rain continuous like this, it will automatically wash the bridges out and that is why we are asking the government to fix this bridge and even poor sports on the road so that movement along the road from Yei-Juba without much difficulties," he said.
Juba-Yei road is a national road that connects South Sudan to neighboring Uganda and DR Congo.