Transport in South Sudan

More than 95% of passenger and freight movement in South Sudan travels by road. The network covers about 12,642 kilometres, including approximately 7,369 kilometres of interstate roads, 1,451 kilometres of state primary roads and 3,822 kilometres of state secondary roads. About 98% of the network is unpaved, and more than half can become seasonally impassable. Four-wheel-drive vehicles, trucks, cars, minibuses, motorcycles and tuk tuks are common, but travel also depends on bridges, fuel supplies, daylight and security access. In Juba and larger towns, private companies and small providers offer minibuses, taxis, boda bodas, which are motorcycle taxis, and tuk tuks, which are three-wheeled taxis. These services are mainly informal. South Sudan has no reliable national timetable, standard public fare system or integrated passenger-rights framework. Juba City Council and the Traffic Police handle local permission and inspection functions, but availability and prices can differ by place, provider and journey. The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Roads and Bridges set transport policy and regulate the road sector. The South Sudan Roads Authority, commonly called SSRA, manages interstate and international roads, road reserves, construction, rehabilitation, maintenance and axle-load control. Road travel is affected by speeding, reckless driving, alcohol or drug use, poor vehicle condition, overloading, missing streetlights and signs, pedestrians and animals on the road, seasonal damage and security risks. Long-distance travel commonly requires daylight travel, current security and access checks, and sometimes group travel. The White Nile and its tributaries provide a major alternative where roads are unreliable. Passenger and freight services operate through seven functional river ports. These are Juba, Mongalla, Bor, Diam Diam, Shambe, Malakal and Renk. The Juba–Renk connection is approximately 1,300 kilometres, and river transport can be the only practical connection for some northern areas. Sediment, changing water levels, obstacles, limited terminals, security and weak maintenance make schedules and journey times unreliable. The World Food Programme and the Logistics Cluster provide some on-demand humanitarian services with 50% cost sharing through locations such as Bor and Malakal. These services are not equivalent to ordinary public line transport. Domestic aviation is regulated by the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority, or SSCAA, which licenses and supervises aircraft, companies, air navigation, airports and airstrips. Juba International Airport and registered domestic airfields serve selected destinations, but availability, departure times and fares depend on the company, aviation notices and the condition of each airfield. Air transport costs more than 11 times as much as road transport in the available comparison, so it is mainly used for long-distance, emergency or otherwise inaccessible journeys. For example, transporting 7,000 kilograms from Juba to Wau was estimated at about USD 1,583 by road compared with about USD 18,000 by air during the rainy season. South Sudan has no functioning regular passenger railway service. The historic Wau–Aweil–Babanusa line is under 250 kilometres long and has not operated for more than 20 years. Walking and cycling remain practical local options where motorised transport is unavailable, but there is no nationally documented network of cycleways or footways. People walking, cycling and moving animals often share the road with vehicles, with limited lighting, signs and physical separation. Road users commonly need a valid licence for the vehicle category, vehicle registration and payment of applicable road charges. Commercial or special-cargo permits may also be required, and the South Sudan Roads Authority checks compliance with axle-load rules. Ministry of Transport electronic services use an identification document for citizens or residents and a passport for foreign users. Applications can involve payment by mobile money, card or online banking followed by a downloadable permit. Illustrative financial-year 2023/24 fees included USD 50 for foreign vehicle entry, USD 150 per month for overstay, SSP 15,000 for a new foreign private driving licence and SSP 12,000 for renewal. Fees can change, and no reliable nationwide list of ordinary passenger fares is available. Road freight has been estimated at about USD 0.20 per tonne-kilometre, but actual passenger and freight prices vary by provider, distance, season, security and vehicle condition. Rain can sharply reduce road access, while river travel depends on water depth and obstructions. Transport also creates dust, exhaust emissions, noise, fuel and oil contamination, vegetation loss, blocked water flow and sedimentation. Transport accounted for about 1.2% of national greenhouse-gas emissions in 2015, with emissions expected to rise as transport use grows. Inland water transport has been assessed in projects as using about 17% of the energy per tonne-kilometre of road transport and having about 83% lower bulk costs than road transport, although its practical use depends on navigability, ports, safety and maintenance. Drainage, culverts, embankments, stronger bridges and maintained ports reduce disruption and environmental damage.