The governments of Uganda, South Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR) have agreed to build a 1,100km cross-border road corridor connecting the three countries.
The project was launched at a tripartite meeting of ministers from the three countries in Kampala, Uganda, in mid-May and aims to link Uganda and the Central African Republic via South Sudan as part of a new regional trade corridor.
In Uganda and South Sudan, it is expected to pass through Kampala, the capital of Uganda adjacent to Lake Victoria, and Karma in the west, before reaching Nimle in southern South Sudan and Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
There are also plans to open a route from Kaya in South Sudan’s central Equatoria state on the border with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Yei further north and Juba.
The alternative road discussed at the meeting would run from Kampala through Karma, Arua and Oraba in northwestern Uganda on the border with South Sudan, then Kaya and Yei, ending in Juba.
From Juba, the road passes through Mundoli, Maridi, Yambio, Yumbo and Ezo in western South Sudan, passes the border with the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, passes through Bambuti in eastern Central Africa, and ends in Obo and Sibuti. Another route will run from Ezo to Sauce Yuv in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state and Bambuti on the border with the Central African Republic.
The tripartite meeting prioritized a phased approach to project development, with Phase 1 being a short-term initiative focused on maintenance and emergency works such as improving gravel roads and repairing bridges to facilitate connectivity between the three countries. Phase 2, identified as the medium- to long-term phase, includes paving the gravel road and rehabilitating the existing pavement route.
Ministers agreed to jointly mobilize funds for the long-term development of the project as a regional trade corridor. A tripartite Technical Committee (TTC) was established, comprising officials from the Departments of Transport, Infrastructure, Public Works, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, and the Attorney General. This committee is tasked with conducting a joint inspection of the proposed project route, finalizing the road alignment and feasibility study, and designing a joint implementation framework.
The next tripartite meeting is scheduled to be held after the TTC inspection, and the exact date will be communicated through diplomatic channels.
The move to build a cross-border road corridor comes after Uganda pledged to begin work on the Malaba-Kampala section of the Greenfield Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) linking Kenya’s SGR and Mombasa Port as part of the Northern Corridor Transport System. Kenya’s railways have also seen progress in recent months, with President William Ruto signing financing deals with the Chinese government for projects such as the SGR’s Naivasha-Maraba line.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is reinstating the Houeres-Fluve line between Bumba and Moomber, located in the Basse-Ouere and Haut-Ouere departments in the northeast of the country, near the borders with the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Uganda.
The Ministry of Transport has called for interest in the rehabilitation and modernization of railways by June 30, saying the move is aimed at strengthening national rail connectivity. Facilitate the opening up of the northeast DRC region, which is rich in mineral and agricultural potential. Promoting sustainable transport. The Expression of Interest (EoI) document can be viewed here.
Photo: South Sudan roads (Source: Facebook@South Sudan Ministry of Transport)
