UNMISS engineers begin much-needed rehabilitation of Malakal-Melut road

22 Nov 2018

UNMISS engineers begin much-needed rehabilitation of Malakal-Melut road

Janet Adongo

Residents in the Upper Nile region will soon heave a collective sigh of relief. A major trade and service road connecting Malakal with Melut will receive much-needed repairs from the UN mission’s peacekeepers based in the area.

The 205-kilometre-long stretch of road also links Malakal with Bunj and Renk, towns that are otherwise only accessible through costly and unreliable air and riverine transportation. A heavy and lengthy rainy season has rendered the road unusable since mid-year, driving up the cost of food and commodities being sourced from Khartoum in Sudan.

 “We assure the people of Malakal that, as representatives of the United Nations, it will be our earnest endeavor to ensure completion of the repairs in the shortest possible time frame,” said Lieutenant Colonel Amit Sirohi, adding that the Indian Horizontal Mechanical Engineering Company hopes to finish the rehabilitation work in approximately two months’ time.

Acting governor of Central Upper Nile, John Odhong, acknowledged his appreciation and stressed the importance of ease of transport between towns in the region.

“Improved road access between Malakal and Melut will make it easier for citizens and other road users to travel back and forth and also allow humanitarian support to continue consistently. We want our citizens to move freely now that peace has been achieved.”