South Darfur governor: ‘New transport fees to stay’

The governor of South Darfur state on Tuesday announced that the new transport fees, imposed on traders in Nyala, will not be reduced.

More than 1,000 lorries have been halted in the state capital since Sunday as the traders embarked on a strike in protest against the increased fees imposed on goods vehicles.

One of them told Dabanga that the passage fees now have been set at SDG8,000 ($1,330) for a lorry.

“The decision to increase the fees is arbitrary, unjustified, and irrational, the more so because the living conditions in South Darfur have become extremely harsh already. The skyrocketing prices of commodities have already led to a widespread stagnation at the markets,” he said.

He stressed that the high fees would not only lead to the bankruptcy of most of the traders, but also to “another large increase of the commodities’ prices”.

As a result of the strike, more than 1,000 lorries with goods from Omdurman, on their way to West Darfur, and Chad, are accumulation in front of the Nyala stock market offices.

South Darfur state governor, Maj. Gen. Adam Mahmoud Jarelnabi, stated that the fees will not be reduced, as they were passed by the state’s Legislative Council. He said that the traders should pay the fees for three months, after which “a solution can be reached”.