South Sudan Envoy Rejects Juba Curbs on Foreign Traders

Foreign traders selling chapati, vegetables and charcoal in Juba have been told by a South Sudanese envoy not to panic over notices targeting their businesses. The reassurance follows an announcement by a local official that foreigners should stop operating in several small-scale trades. But the embassy’s response leaves a distinction traders will be watching closely: the notices were issued locally, while the envoy says they do not represent the government’s position.

According to Nile Post Uganda (direct), Ugandans and other foreign traders became alarmed after city authorities issued notices barring foreigners from retail business. The activities named reach beyond shop counters. On Monday, Juba County Caretaker Commissioner Kalisto Lado said foreigners should not operate chapati stalls or boda boda services—motorcycle transport—or engage in small-scale sales of tomatoes, onions and charcoal. The announcement brought fears of expulsion among foreign traders already working in the city.

Embassy challenges the announcement

Akuol Abijok Deng, the chargé d’affaires at South Sudan’s embassy in Kampala, rejected the announcement when questioned by journalists. She said Lado was not authorised to speak for the South Sudanese government. Her response challenged the standing of the official behind the restrictions, rather than presenting the notices as a new national policy that foreign traders would have to follow.

Deng also corrected how Lado’s office had been described. He was a county caretaker commissioner, not a mayor, she said. She compared his role to that of a local government member and stressed that his statements could not be taken as the views of the government. She also said the announcement did not come from the state government. Those distinctions were central to her rejection of the restrictions reported in Juba.

“The statement doesn't represent the position of the Republic of South Sudan,” Deng said.

For Ugandan traders, Deng paired that explanation with a direct appeal for calm. She assured Ugandans in South Sudan that they should not panic and rejected the prospect of such a ban. She placed that reassurance in the context of relations between the two countries, describing the relationship as a high priority for South Sudan. Her remarks addressed the anxiety caused by the notices, which had left traders concerned about whether they could continue their small businesses.

Traders await the government’s statement

The dispute centres on everyday commercial activity: preparing food, carrying passengers and selling basic goods. These are the specific businesses Lado named, rather than a general announcement about all foreign commercial activity. The reported notices nevertheless caused concern among both Ugandans and other foreign traders. Deng’s response offered a competing official message: the local announcement should not be read as the position of South Sudan’s government.

The next step, Deng said, would be a government press statement on the matter. She did not give a specific release date. That promised statement is now the development to watch for traders seeking clarity after the local notices and the embassy’s rejection of them.