Border Communities Seek Unified Customs Between South Sudan And Sudan

This article was last updated on May 26, 2022

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During a two-day consultative meeting between the communities of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state and the Southern Kordofan and Eastern Darfur states of Sudan, the representatives agreed to follow the border principles that bind the two countries to live with strong bilateral relations but urged their respective governments of Sudan and South Sudan to come into agreement of taxes’ unification especially at the border checkpoints and customs.

During the meeting attended by the Dinka Malual communities of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state and Rezeigat communities of Eastern Darfur state in Gokmachar of Aweil North County, the meeting proposed new mechanisms for the tax management through governments and that the adoption of the lowered or unified taxes shall boost and strengthen economic ties especially with the three bordering states to progress well in economic and political coexistence.

In his official communication to the participants of the meeting, the Deputy Director for Industry and mining of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, Mayuol Diing Mayuo, said the three bordering states have many things in common to share and those allow the need to set up proper polices to regulate imports and exports.

He also calls on the local communities representatives present in the conference of the three bordering states to refrain from influencing conflict but rather act as the barriers to conflict should there happens an attempt from youth both states.

“We all know the importance of peace, and as we have many things to share in common as the three bordering states, we would love to see that both elders from the three states respect peace and promote unity for the interest of our people, we should be the barriers to conflicts when being attempted by the youth of any of the side,” he urged the representatives.

“The two governments should set up a unified tax system, reduce charges on exports and imports and regulate the number of check points along the trade routes, the two governments should also provide security and maintain trade roads at the border areas,” he added.

He further called on the two governments to establish commercial banks to give loans to traders in order to boost trade.

The Chairperson of the Rezeigat Peace Committee, Mohamed Ali El Ghureshi, welcomed the outcome of the meeting and said it was a positive step towards the implementation of the cross border agreements between the two governments.

“There is political will at high level, we have seen [Omar] Al Bashir, went and sat with Salva Kiir, and agreed on the opening of the border points, so we did this as advance step to show them that we also as communities are supporting the peace between the two countries,” he said.