Fish Truck Seizure at Elegu Border Resolved After Bilateral Talks

(Nimule) – Ugandan authorities have released five trucks carrying fish owned by South Sudanese traders after they were detained last week at the Elegu-Nimule border.

The trucks had been held due to the lack of proper documentation required for cross border trade.

According to Mangar Akuot Yuang, a representative of the South Sudan Fisheries Business Union, the release came after diplomatic negotiations between South Sudanese and Ugandan officials.

The discussions involved customs agencies and ministries of Trade, Fisheries, and Foreign Affairs from both countries.

Yuang said that all parties engaged actively, including the National Union for Fishermen Association, to ensure the situation was resolved quickly.

He noted that Ugandan officials gave reassurances that similar incidents would be avoided in the future and that the fish trade between the two countries would continue without unnecessary disruptions.

As part of the new agreement, fish from South Sudan will be transported up to the Ugandan side of the Elegu border in South Sudanese trucks.

There, the goods will be offloaded and reloaded onto Ugandan registered trucks before being moved to their final destinations within Uganda or beyond. This arrangement is meant to comply with Uganda’s transportation regulations.

In addition to the release of the fish trucks, two South Sudanese members of the Fisheries Union who had been detained in Uganda during the incident were also freed over the weekend.

The value of the fish cargo involved was not publicly disclosed, but such shipments typically represent significant investment for small scale South Sudanese traders.

Fish exports from South Sudan to Uganda remain an important source of income for many families and cooperatives, especially in regions bordering the Nile.