Foreigners Banned From Operating Commercial Vehicles

This article was last updated on May 25, 2022

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…

Speaking to journalists in his office on Wednesday, the town mayor of Aweil town Hon. Debek Atak Longar said his office issued a provisional order banning the foreigners in driving public vehicles until further notice.

“In reference to South Sudan Driving Act of 2007, foreigners are not allowed to be driving public vehicles especially the commercial vehicles for one reason or the other. As such, my office issued the provisional orders earlier in May this year instructing the traffic police and the security organs to maintain the policy until the further notice. Since then, this provisional order is very effective up to now if should there happen that any foreigner is found driver any public vehicle, then automatically that practice is illegal,” Aweil Town Mayor, Debek Atak told the press in his office.

He later added that order is going to be fully adhered to by the traffic officers and other security thoroughly to avoid kind of mischievous practice.

He however, did not clarify the punishment given in regard to the offence of the order but said that the offenders shall be dealt with accordingly.

“We are not saying that there are no foreigners still driving the public vehicles meant for business of transporting people but we already deployed our team on ground to monitor and report such cases to our office for immediate action,” he added.

Meanwhile in another related statement, the security organs in the state have arrested number of Drivers Union’s representatives for allegedly taxing the bus-drivers who are operating local in the town.

However, town mayor declined that the practice is quiet criminal offence and said must be followed and handled by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) not Aweil Town Municipality for the reason that they are not answerable to the ministry of interior which he said are responsible for handling such cases.

“Yes it is true that those individuals belonging to the Drivers Union were arrested and detained by the CID but that does not relate to our issue of our provisional order, this has been a different case which we can as a criminal offence, how can one who is not authorized by the government pretend to be taxing the drivers yet they not officially permitted to do, it is a crime which is punishable in the court of law,” he clarified.

Debek further appealed to the community of state to cooperate with the security organs as well as his office by reporting cases when it happens that there still foreign drivers in practices contrary to the orders and urged the community to respect and promote social entrepreneurship among themselves without relying on others.