Plan on course to construct road to Ethiopia, says Taban Deng

A road that will be connecting South Sudan and Ethiopia through Pagak to Mathiang will soon be constructed, the Vice President of Infrastructure Cluster, Taban Deng Gai said.

“We are about to start major development projects that will connect us to Ethiopia, such as the road from Pagak to Mathiang, Palouge, Malakal to Bentiu, and Bahr el Ghazal,” said Deng.

He was speaking during the commemoration of the 11th anniversary of the South Sudan independence organised by the Ethiopian Embassy in Juba on Tuesday.

The forum’s goal was to draw attention to the struggles of Ethiopia and South Sudan for independence.

According to Taban, the road is a vital corridor that will allow for the exporting and importing of goods through the ports of Djibouti and Berbera in Somalia.

He added that the other roads would connect Boma in central South Sudan to southern Ethiopia via Bor and Dima.

“We are also working to connect Ethiopia to us via the Raad road to Eastern Equatoria and Uganda, as well as the Raad road to Boma Pibor and Bor,” he added.

The Ethiopian Ambassador, Nebil Mahdi, stated that the two countries needed to collaborate in areas such as road infrastructure, transportation, immigration, customs, and other relevant sectors.

“I have seen how genuinely concerned you were about Ethiopia’s well-being during the current crisis on multiple occasions,” he said.

The ambassador recalled how they travelled back in time to see how the two countries’ relations evolved and stood the test of time.

“It is not only our history that binds us together; our fate is also linked to a complex set of factors, and a common challenge is required,” he said.

“I believe our rich historical ties serve as a solid foundation for our future collaboration in tackling the pervasive and multifaceted challenges that we are facing today.’’