Crackdown On Illegal Fuel Dealers To Begin In South Sudan

[Elisabeth Janaina]

Crackdown On Illegal Fuel Dealers To Begin In South Sudan
President Salva Kiir Mayardit has directed the Ministry of Interior to
form a task force to crack down illegal fuel dealers.
27 July 2017
Crackdown On Illegal Fuel Dealers To Begin In South Sudan
Customers line up for the scarce resource at a filling station in
Juba. [Gurtong file photo]

By Jale Richard

JUBA, 27 July 2017 [Gurtong]-According to Ateny Wek Ateny, the
presidential order requires formation of a task force, before giving
an ultimatum of 72 hours for illicit fuel dealers to abandon their
practice.

“The committee will give 72 hours ultimatum to the illegal fuel
dealers, before crackdown by the task force to be formed by the
Ministry of Interior,” Ateny said. “Failure to do that after three
days, they will be cracked down,” he said.

This comes after the President met the recently formed committee to
oversee fuel supplies in the country in response to perpetual fuel
shortages in the country. Over the past two weeks, fuel shortages have
forced the price of fuel to skyrocket to South Sudanese Pounds 700 SSP
per liter in the black market.

The committee comprises the Minister of Finance, National Security,
Minister in the Office of the President, Undersecretary Ministry of
Petroleum, the Managing Director of Nile Petroleum Corporation
(Nilepet) as well as the two Directors of National Security both
Internal and External.

Ateny said the President also directed the managing director of the
State oil corporation Nilepet to stop issuing personal approval of
fuel trucks.

According to Ateny, the personal trucks are the biggest problem
because the trucks go to the black market but not to the public market
at the fuel stations.

Mohamed Lino, the Undersecretary in the Ministry of Petroleum later
revealed to the press that the directives will be implemented by the
Security organs comprising of National Security and National Police.

The Minister in the Office of the President, also chairman of the
board of Directors of Nilepet is also directed to give directives to
the Nilepet Managing Director to cease giving tracks to individuals or
institutions.

“He must also develop mechanisms on how to deliver fuel to public
institutions as well as private companies according to the directives
of the President,” said Ateny.


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