SOUTH SUDAN / YEI ROAD SECURITY
Channel: UNMISS VIDEOS
Date: 27/10/2017

The 160-kilometre journey from the capital of South Sudan to the town of Yei in the south-west of the country should take no more than a couple of hours. But war and weather have damaged the main route from Juba so badly that it has been largely impassable for months.

 It is not just the roads that have been washed away in the torrential downpours during the rainy season, but also important infrastructure making it impossible for motorists, including traders, to travel safely.

 Many of those attempting the journey have ended up stranded for days at a time, creating further blockages with their vehicles and putting their lives at risk with a spate of armed robberies along the road in recent months.

 One teacher trying to return to Yei from a Ugandan refugee camp where he lives with his wife and six children was stuck on the road for three days until peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) arrived. 
 
“They assisted us three times, let me say, pulling our truck when it was stuck and together we move with them. So, we are at Loka with them and we are pushing to Yei. We don’t know if we will reach there but hopefully we shall reach Yei today.” 

UN peacekeeping patrols have experienced the same difficulty trying to extend their protective presence into a region that has experienced ongoing conflict and human rights violations.

“The road situation is very, very bad and these big trucks are really suffering, especially APCs. The rainy season is very bad for such convoys.”

Despite the weather, these Ethiopian and Rwandan troops are making another push down the road to map the trouble spots so that their engineers can make the repairs needed to get local traffic moving again. 
 
“The problem is because of the mud and dips we cannot estimate it and APCs are wider and just cannot be managed by the drivers, even though we are still in the right position. If god wills, we may arrive at Yei or not, I do not know.”

It is tough going with large vehicles and armored personnel carriers struggling to make it through let alone smaller UN vehicles. But, with perseverance and plenty of encouragement, they are successful.

 UN civilian staff travelling on the patrol to monitor human rights and to support the peace process in Yei hope that the increased peacekeeping presence will encourage those who fled the area to return.

“This place was inhabited but now it is no longer inhabited. But the UNMISS patrols enable people, the citizens, to feel at least a little bit more secure. And we are told that they are coming back to this area. Obviously, the rain makes it a little more difficult for them to come back but hopefully as the rain recedes, this will become more and more evident.”

With the dry season comes fresh hope for the communities along this road as increased security and safer travel creates new opportunities to return to their homes