A border crossing on the western side of the Sudan-South Sudan border has unofficially opened again after a long period of embargo, with smugglers now taking goods daily from Meiram in South Kordofan to Majook Yiithiou in Northern Bahr al-Ghazal using motorbikes and trucks.

According to Sudanese traders, barter is the main means of transaction at the market because the South Sudanese currency is not accepted in Sudan, nor vice-versa. “We come with sugar, Fuel, Flour Biscuit, sorghum and many other small  small items. And when we reach to south sudan, we some times exchange the goods for motorbikes,” said a trader who declined to be named.

One Senke model motorcycle is sold for 30 sacks of sugar, or 5 barrels of fuel. A Boxer motorcycle will fetch 7 barrels of fuel or 40 sacks of sugar. “Then we go away with the motorbikes and sell them off in Meiram and sometimes Muglad in South korodfan,” said the trader.

“We also come in an indirect way which no one knows from the Sudan government side. It's God that protect us. We need peace between of the two countries so that our trade can go back to way it was in previous days,” he added.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Saturday, a group of traders at Warawar market said that the reopening of the Meiram route to South Sudan was not offically annouced by the two  states. “The stranding of our goods for a long period in Meiram since the shutdown of the South Sudan oil pipeline forced us to come to South Sudan illegally with these goods, because they may expire,” said one northern trader.

Daily about 5 to 10 trucks or motorcycles drop goods in Majook Yithiou Payam, on the southern side of the border. This has caused prices in Northern Bahr al Ghazal state to drop significantly. For example, a 50 kg sack of flour dropped from 320 to 215 SSP, 50 kg of sugar drop from 400 to 300 SSP, and a jerrycan of fuel drop from 240 to 140 SSP.