Roads to recovery

WFP constructed roads ease isolation in South Sudan’s north

Story by Saddal Diab

Lucia briefly poses for a picture before continuing her journey. Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

Cruising along the road from Maban to Banketa in Upper Nile State while gazing at the parched bushes and sun-baked land, its hard to imagine that a few months ago the area was under water.

Hit by one of the most intense flooding spells in recent history, lakes spread as far as the eye could see.

“You wouldn’t believe what this area was like during the floods”, says Wilfred Tokpah, the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Head of Field Office in Maban, while pointing to countless areas that were unrecognizable at the peak of the floods.

Bustling roads providing access to vital markets were practically swallowed by the rains. Displaced communities narrated harrowing tales of loss of their homes, personal belongings, livestock, and even loved ones.

“Roads are the arteries through which the economy pulses.”

Today, thanks to WFP’s efforts, some 42 ‘choke-points’ have been cleared along the 65 km Maban to Banketa road. Along the expansive road, people recount the many ways roadworks have paved way for recovery and renewed possibilities.

A rehabilitated chokepoint along the Maban-Banketa road Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

Why roads matter

A little perspective helps to digest the magnitude of the operation. South Sudan has a road network of over 20,000 kilometres, but only 200 kilometres are paved, a mere one percent. Decades of conflict and years of neglect have stunted infrastructure development in the country. Road travel is notoriously difficult. More than 60 percent of the country is inaccessible during the six-month long rainy season from June to November every year making access a constant challenge.

Economic spin-offs

The clearing of the roads heralded significant economic spin-offs for traders and residents alike. Traders can now transport supplies with ease. On the other hand, residents are relieved that the dust has settled, and the wildly inflated prices have now decreased.

High demand coupled with low supply were disastrous for the local community. Salt was being sold by the spoonful at exorbitant prices, and the cost of sorghum had doubled. Thanks to the rehabilitated road, the prices of basic commodities are a mere fraction of what they were during the floods.

Goods are now more affordable due to improved accessibility. Roadside stalls have mushroomed along the Banketa Maban bringing much needed goods at people’s doorsteps. Photos: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua.

A new start

Riding on his camel, Mohamed Ali, a Sudanese trader who grew up in Banketa, recalls the night he thought the floods would wash away his possessions and livelihood.

He has never seen floods of this magnitude in his area.

“We lost a lot of livestock during the floods. Roads were blocked and we were stranded,” he says. “Now that the road is cleared, we can get medication for our livestock. This was impossible a few months ago. Our livestock are our livelihood. If they are lost, so are we.”

For many traders, the camel, a water guzzler and resistant to the harsh desert conditions is not only a favoured mode of transport but can be the difference for nomads and traders in this part of the world. Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

For many the roads are a lifeline.

Families that had deserted their homes during the floods, created makeshift houses by the roadside. Without assistance, it will be a few more months before they can get back.

They vow to rebuild their lives but it’s hard. Striving to create a sense of normalcy and routine they prepare food and wash clothes.

“The floods destroyed everything, even people were washed away,” says Michael Deng. He now rides a motorcycle which allows him to sell bread to meet his family’s basic expenses.

Displaced families find abandoned buildings in higher ground, repair and start rebuilding their lives. Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua

Responding to increased needs

As soon as the floods struck, WFP doubled-up and intensified its recovery response by meeting immediate needs and tackling the challenges at hand. With a year’s worth of rains falling in a week, Maban was completely cut-off, and business ground to a halt. A WFP 24 truck-convoy got stuck in Banketa. Unable to transport food by road, WFP was forced to resort to costly airdrops.

Excavators, tippers, bulldozers were contracted for the repairs. Within a record-breaking 11 days, the repairs were complete. During this time, WFP provided food to over 800,000 flood affected people.

A chokepoint along the Maban Banketa road at the peak of the flood season. Photo: WFP/Babu Nicholas

Future plans

The 120-metre long bridge in Kwacjok has transformed the dynamics of transportation and trade in Lunyaker, Kwacjok and Kangi regions for long separated by the Jur River. Photo: WFP/Espinola Caribe

“Roads are the arteries through which the economy pulses,” says Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Country Director. “By linking producers to markets, workers to jobs, students to school, and the sick to hospitals, roads are vital to any development agenda in South Sudan particularly now that the country is on the path to peace.”

In 2020, with support from the European Union, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, WFP remains steadfast in its commitment to undertake various road rehabilitation projects. Among these are the 48 km Torit-Magwi, 23 km worth of choke point repairs within the Bor- Ayod road, and the 13 km Saurah-Li Rangu roads. The roadworks aim to connect communities to social services such as health and education, connect areas with agricultural potential to markets, enable WFP to access people with food and nutritional assistance, as well as improve rural connectivity and stimulate economic growth and will play a vital role in ending inequity and isolation among communities for long separated by the conflict.

Find out more about WFP’s work in South Sudan.