Juba’s Retail Curbs Put Ugandan Traders at the Centre of a Diplomatic Test

For Ugandans selling food and running small shops in Juba, permission to stay in South Sudan does not necessarily mean permission to keep trading. County authorities say foreigners have not been ordered out, but maintain that small-scale retail should be reserved for South Sudanese nationals. That distinction leaves traders facing uncertainty over their livelihoods and Kampala seeking a diplomatic solution, according to Nile Post Uganda (direct).

Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga, has asked South Sudan to review the restrictions. She said Kampala had received reports of measures affecting Ugandan traders and wanted the issue addressed through regional integration commitments and existing bilateral arrangements. Her appeal invoked the Common Market Protocol, a regional framework for economic integration, while recognising South Sudan’s right to enforce its laws.

A place to stay, but less room to trade

Juba County Caretaker Commissioner Kalisto Lado Nyigilo said small businesses selling products such as chapati, tomatoes and onions should be left to South Sudanese operators. Foreign investors, he said, should focus instead on wholesale trade, factories and larger investments. He later rejected social-media claims that he had given foreigners seven days to leave Juba, explaining that county authorities have no power to expel foreign nationals from the country.

Lado said the restriction concerned foreigners’ participation in retail, not an order for them to leave South Sudan.

That clarification did not withdraw his position on small-scale retail. The distinction matters in Konyokonyo and Gumbo, two markets with a strong Ugandan business presence. Daily Monitor reporting cited by Nile Post said Ugandan traders own a significant number of shops and stalls there, and that much of the food and other merchandise sold in those markets comes from Uganda. The issue therefore reaches beyond individual shopkeepers to the suppliers serving them across the border.

Kadaga said Ugandans contribute to South Sudan through trade, jobs and investment, and called for legitimate businesses to be protected. She also condemned attacks and harassment targeting Ugandan businesses. At the same time, she urged lawful handling of individual complaints and transparent, fair treatment of any criminal concerns, rather than allowing the dispute to turn into a confrontation between the two countries.

Border commerce raises the stakes

South Sudan is one of Uganda’s major export markets, buying food, manufactured goods and construction materials. According to Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, more than 600 cargo trucks can cross the Elegu-Nimule and Oraba-Kaya borders each day during peak periods. That figure reflects the scale of the wider commercial relationship, in which Ugandan traders depend on South Sudanese demand and South Sudan relies heavily on regional supplies of food and other goods.

The restrictions also sit uneasily alongside efforts to ease border trade. At their sixth joint border meeting in Arua in July 2026, Uganda and South Sudan agreed to progressively address tariffs and other trade obstacles, align customs and immigration procedures, and help goods and people move along the Central and West Nile corridors. They also agreed to revive border management committees and strengthen channels for resolving problems affecting legitimate trade.

For now, Kadaga has asked affected businesses to record the circumstances of closures or restrictions and submit their cases through the appropriate channels, including Uganda’s diplomatic mission. Kampala plans to engage Juba once complaints have been verified. The next test is whether that process clarifies the scope and enforcement of the retail restrictions—and secures fair treatment for lawful traders without disrupting the broader trading relationship.