The continuous presence of multiple checkpoints along the River Nile between the national capital, Juba, and the troubled region of Upper Nile has forced boat owners to halt operations, cutting the region’s access to critical basic goods, with Pigi County in Jonglei State being one of the worst-affected areas, authorities said.
Many areas in the Upper Nile Region are cut off from the rest of the country by road due to poor infrastructure and flooding, leaving the Nile as a vital lifeline. However, since the start of this year, the ongoing fighting involving government troops and rival forces has made transportation of goods and services along the waterway a dangerous expedition.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj over the weekend, Seliman Deng Thon, the Pigi County commissioner, said the civil population suffers with no access to basic services as boat owners stopped operations because of extortion by armed forces manning illegal checkpoints erected along the Nile.
In the recent 24 June incident, the commissioner pointed out that several boats were stripped of barrels of fuel and millions of pounds while on their way to Juba to bring basic supplies.
“Checkpoints are supposed to be run by civil authorities. However, in our case, they are illegally established and run by armed groups like the SPLA-IO forces,” he said. “On June 24, 2025, several boats moving from Malakal to Juba were stopped at the outskirts of my county and extorted of 3 barrels of diesel and SSP 15 million each.”
The local official appealed to national authorities to address the issue.
“These checkpoints are less than 3 kilometers from each other. Within and at the outskirts of Pigi, there are four checkpoints: Bulang, Atar, Allela (Diel), and Dor in Fangak County. These checkpoints are extorting boat owners, forcing them to stop work. Commissioner Deng explained. “So, I urge our leaders in the national government to find a solution to this, because not only my county, but the entire Upper Nile will be troubled.”
A boat owner, Elijah Thongbor Abraham, said the situation is dire.
“At one checkpoint, they may charge 4 million. Where will I get this amount? If we do not pay, boats are not allowed to leave,” he lamented. “We are losing because even UN agencies like the WFP have stopped hiring boats to deliver food aid. So, our boats are now grounded.”
For his part, Dau Chol Garang, the secretary-general of the Boats Trade Union in Jonglei State, said the presence of multiple checkpoints has persisted over the years and that the situation has only worsened despite attempts to resolve it earlier this year.
“In Bor, docking sites, over 54 boats are grounded, and several other boats are grounded in Malakal and Unity State as well. No boats are coming or going,” he said. “At each checking point, they take two barrels of diesel, and a pair of each good being carried, be it sugar, flour, or beans. They also charge cash ranging from 4 to 5 million.”