Prices of basic goods in south Sudan have surged after a cargo “blockade” by former civil war enemies in the north, officials said on Thursday. River and road transport of food and fuel supplies from the north have been restricted for over a week, officials said. The economic restrictions termed by southern officials as “hostile” come as the south prepares to separate from the north on July 9, after almost 99 percent of southerners voted in a January referendum to split Africa’s biggest country in two. “The cargo blockade from the north means that prices have shot up in the market,” said Gideon Gatpan, information minister for the south’s Unity state. Border states like Unity, which depend the most on the neighbouring north for goods and fuel, are the areas hardest hit, officials said. “We have ensured there are alternative means, to get goods from East Africa so the problem does not cause major problems, but the situation is not easy,” he added. Fuel shortages were also reported across the south, and even traders in the southern capital Juba, where most imports come from East African neighbours, reported price increases. “Prices have increased, and there are problems with fuel in some stations,” said trader Alfred Lado. The UN World Food Programme said their supplies were initially blocked, but have now been allowed to travel to the south.
