The drivers of Juba’s public transportation vehicles are upset about the government-run Nile Petroleum Company’s decision to increase the price of a liter of diesel and gasoline from six pounds to 22 pounds.

The manager of the Juba-Bor route, Hussein Bilal, told Radio Tamazuj they have been forced to pass the cost on to their passengers. The trip has risen from 250 SSP to 350 SSP.

He said the decision to increase the fuel prices was not in the interest of the ordinary citizens of Juba.

The decision comes amid acute fuel shortages in Juba and throughout South Sudan.

“The government decision was so hard on the citizens,” Bilal said. “It will not allow people to progress in this country.”