A road linking Raja in South Sudan to Buram in East Darfur state has been close due to the hijacking of trucks, according to reports.
Local trader, HamzaIssa, from Raja county who owns of El-Equwa Transit Company revealed that the kidnappers have been requesting ransoms for the release of the hijacked trucks, confirming that demands of up to 60,000SSP are sometimes made.
Issa also claimed that they started to experience similar cases in December last year and the number of hijacked trucks now totals 12. The last incident reportedly occurred on the 29th of January at Timsah in Raja County, South Sudan. “The kidnappers appeared suddenly in front of people possessing heavy weapons loaded on Land Cruisers,” headded.
Radio Tamazuj has not yet been able to confirm this news from the authorities in Raja or East Darfur. However, road closures resulting from insecurity such as this have a significant economic impact on the area, impeding cross-border travel and trade.