The governments of Uganda, South Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR) have agreed to build a 1,100km cross-border road corridor linking the three countries.

The project was initiated during a tripartite meeting of ministers from the three countries in Kampala, Uganda, in mid-May and is aimed at connecting Uganda and CAR via South Sudan as part of a new regional trade corridor.

In Uganda and South Sudan, the road is expected to pass through Uganda’s capital city Kampala, which borders Lake Victoria, and Karuma in the Western region to Nimule in southern South Sudan and Juba, South Sudan’s capital city.

There will also be a route linking Kaya in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria state and on the border with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Yeyi further up north and on to Juba.

An alternative road discussed at the meeting runs from Kampala to Karuma, Arua and Oraba on Uganda's northwestern border with South Sudan to Kaya, Yeyi and ending at Juba.

From Juba, the road will run through Mundri, Maridi, Yambio, Yumbo and Ezo in western South Sudan and on the border with CAR and the DRC to Bambouti in eastern CAR and on to Obo and Sibuti. Another route will run from Ezo to Source Yubu in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state and on the border with CAR to Bambouti.

The tripartite meeting prioritised a phased approach to the project’s development, with phase 1, the short-term initiative, to focus on maintenance and emergency works such as gravel road improvements and bridge repairs to facilitate connections among the three countries. Phase 2, identified as the medium to long-term phase, involves tarmacking gravel roads and rehabilitating existing paved routes.

The ministers agreed to the joint mobilisation of funding for the long-term development of the project as a regional trade corridor. A tripartite technical committee (TTC) was established comprising officials from the ministries of transport, infrastructure and public works, as well as defence, and foreign and internal affairs, along with the solicitor-general. This committee is tasked with conducting a joint inspection of the proposed project routes, finalising road alignments and feasibility studies, and designing the joint implementation framework.

The next tripartite meeting is to be held once the TTC has completed its inspection, with specific dates to be communicated through diplomatic channels.

The move to build the cross-border road corridor comes as Uganda has committed to begin work on the Malaba-Kampala section of its greenfield standard-gauge railway (SGR), which links to Kenya’s SGR and on to the Port of Mombasa as part of the Northern Corridor Transport System. Kenya’s railway has also seen progress in recent months, with President William Ruto signing financing agreements with the Chinese government for projects including the Naivasha-Malaba section of the SGR.

The DRC, meanwhile, is looking to revive the Bumba-Mungbere section of the Uélés-Fleuves railway, located in the country’s northeastern Bas-Uele and Haut-Uele provinces near the borders with CAR, South Sudan and Uganda.

The transport ministry has invited interest by 30 June for the rehabilitation and modernisation of the railway, a move it says is aimed at strengthening domestic rail connectivity; facilitating the opening up of the DRC’s northeastern regions, which are rich in minerals and agricultural potential; and promoting sustainable transport. The expression of interest (EoI) document can be viewed here.

Photo: Road in South Sudan (Source: Facebook @ South Sudan transport ministry)