Aviation
Air transport in Southern Sudan is inadequate, with Juba as the only airport that receives limited international flights and a few flights to other air strips in the country. The air traffic control system is based in Khartoum and limited with no coverage in the Southern Sudan. Air services are critically important for domestic and external communications. However, the air transport services are unlikely to meet the immediate transport needs of the majority of the local population. An initial requirement in the post-conflict period is to create an enabling institutional environment for the emergence of air transport system on a commercial and competitive basis. Immediate requirement also include rehabilitation and construction of selected airports and airstrips.
OVERVIEW OF THE TRANSPORT SECTOR
Although endowed with potentially rich minerals and other natural resources, Southern Sudan is underdeveloped. This state of underdevelopment can be traced to back to pre-colonial and continued through post colonial periods.
The problem of lack of physical infrastructure and services is compounded inadequate skill human resource and institutional capacity to spearhead the development. The development, especially in physical infrastructure (as is the case in other sectors) will almost have to start from the zero level.
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in January 2005 establishes an autonomous government for Southern Sudan and provides for broader participation in government and the civil service, the restructured critical national institutions, and a new national constitution. The Wealth Sharing Agreement provides a national macroeconomic framework for resource allocation and sustainable decentralization. It is expected that the revenue shared from the oil will be used for undertaking socio-economic development in the South.
Southern Sudan’s transport system consists of four major modes namely: roads, railways, river transport, and air transport.
Roads (Road infrastructure)
The roads refer to the development of road infrastructure, which consist all the facilities upon which road transport operates, whether the road is classified or unclassified. It is estimated that Southern Sudan has a road network of about 12,642 km consisting of 7,369 km of Interstate roads, 1,451 km of State primary roads and 3,822 km of State secondary roads. The roads have neither been classified nor inventoried which is prerequisite for strategic planning. Most of these roads are in a state of disrepair as they have not been maintained during the civil war. A few of the Interstate and primary roads have been improved to gravel standards.
The main roads in Southern Sudan today are the international links with Uganda and Kenya. Two main routes connect Southern Sudan with Uganda: Juba-Yei-Kaya and Juba-Nimule roads. Yei-Kaya link has become the main corridor on the west bank of the White Nile radiating westwards towards Maridi –Yambio-Tambura and northwards towards Mundri-Mvolo-Rumbek-Tonj-Thiet-Aweil. The route is a major lifeline as it connects various markets with that of Kenya and Uganda. The other international road link is Juba-Kapoeta-Narus to Lokichogio in Kenya.
Road Transport
Road transport refers to both the freight and passenger transport operations. Road freight transport embraces domestic and international conveyance of goods by road. Its basic requirements include high quality service to the satisfaction of customers and users (with regard to cost, reliability and timeliness of delivery); seamless inter-modal operations; optimised use of capacity and management of operations, protection of infrastructure and minimized impact on the environment and natural resources.
High vehicle operating costs due poor road conditions coupled with security concerns are remains the main challenge facing the road freight. The current road freight market in Southern Sudan emerged from a heavily dominated market by relief agencies. With peace and improvements on the roads, there has been an upsurge of road freight especially on major corridors from Uganda and Kenya. A primary concern for GOSS is to develop commercial land transport market to facilitate the restoration of transport infrastructure and services and security across regions.
The road passenger transport looks at the movement of passengers within rural areas, between rural and urban areas, between different urban areas and passenger movement across the borders. The key challenge is to ensure the road passenger transport addresses access and mobility needs and standards to limit travel, distance and safety.
The market for passenger transport in Southern Sudan is far from being served well and is expanding. One major factor that has led to an upsurge of demand for passenger transport is the peace marked by the end of the civil war and signing of the CPA, which created large movement of people as represented in the return of the internally displaced persons and refugees and their resettlement. The second factor is the emergence of commercial trade and business centres across Southern Sudan, which attracted movement of people to the markets for trade, work and social services.
The main challenge facing operations of passenger transport in Southern Sudan include high operation costs due to lack and poor quality of roads and insecurities. The GOSS will also have to establish legal and institutional framework for regulation and coordination of the passenger transport.
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