Sudan’s general transport federation has announced the formation of an operational team to find and punish traders who illegally smuggle goods and fuel from Sudan to South Sudan.  They have also called upon authorities in Khartoum to tighten border controls in order to eliminate smuggling.

According to the head of land transport system, Abdel Atif al-Bashir Fagir, the team includes members of military intelligence and security services, traffic police, food security officials and other members of the relevant sectors.

He indicated that they will intensify efforts to enforce law and tighten controls on all export offices in markets throughout the country but particularly those in states which border South Sudan.  The new campaign is widespread, reportedly visible along roads and in markets across Sudan.

Secretary General for the transport federation, Shams Al-Kamal Hamad, said in a meeting attended by the members of federal departments that they had learned a lot regarding correct customs, licensing, and inspection procedures to be carried out by traffic police.  He also warned that offenders refusing to follow the regulations will face legal penalties.

Communities in Sudan’s border state have recently complained about the increasingly enforced border controls, claiming that they will damage the local economy in terms of trade as well as for pastoralists who rely on cross-border grazing.

File photo: A smugglers' truck at Kurchi Market in the Nuba Mountains, November 2012 (Radio Tamazuj)