Authorities in Sudan’s Warawar are cracking down on illegal checkpoints that have sprung up between Majok Nyinthiu and Aweil East County.

The roadblocks have caused the cost of goods in the area to skyrocket, as traders pass on the costs of the illegal taxes to consumers.

The Deputy Chairperson of the Traders’ Union in Warawar, Garang Deng, told Radio Tamazuj that Northern Bahr el Ghazal’s head of taxation, Manut Yiel, led a delegation last week that removed three of the roadblocks.

Deng said the move followed complaints from the traders. He said the roadblocks generally charge traders 150 South Sudanese pounds per vehicle. There are only supposed to be two legal checkpoints operating in the area.