The River Nile Transport Crisis: Repeated Boat Capsizing Incidents Ignored by Authorities in the EAC Region
Ariik Kuol Ariik Mawien
By Ariik Kuol Ariik Mawien, Juba, South Sudan
Wednesday, 19 July 2023 (PW) — Several incidents of boat capsizing and sinking have occurred in South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda, highlighting a major problem in the River Nile transport system in the Eastern African Region. The main issue contributing to these accidents is the lack of accurate determination of a boat’s carrying capacity.
For example, on Monday, July 17th, 2023, a boat transporting fuel capsized and sank in the River Nile, causing oil drums to float northwards in South Sudan. In another incident on Monday, July 10th, 2023, a boat carrying thirteen passengers capsized and sank while traveling from northern Apac District to southern Masindi District in Uganda via the River Nile. Nine people lost their lives, four were hospitalized, and the search for missing bodies is ongoing.
Back in January 2nd, 2014, a boat carrying approximately 200 civilians fleeing violence in Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile State in South Sudan, sank while crossing the Nile River, resulting in numerous fatalities.
In August 2018, a tragic incident occurred in northern Sudan where a boat sank while transporting more than forty school children from Al-Kanisa to a school in Al-Kabna village. Twenty-two children lost their lives in this accident.
In April 2019, a boat hired by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver humanitarian aid from Bor to Fangak sank in the River Nile. The boat, designed to carry 80 metric tons, was overloaded with 90 metric tons, causing a severe tragedy.
On May 28th, 2021, thirty-five South Sudanese children drowned in the River Nile, with fifteen fatalities and twenty survivors, at Halfa Muluk Area, North of Khartoum in Sudan.
In November 2021, a boat capsized and sank while crossing from Kaka Tijaria to Malakal town, resulting in the deaths of ten people, including five children from a single family.
On July 17th, 2022, a boat overturned and sank in the middle of the River Nile while trying to avoid a collision with another boat. Four individuals lost their lives, and five were hospitalized.
In April 2022, twenty-three women drowned after a vessel capsized in the Blue Nile River. Out of the twenty-nine passengers on board, only six survived.
These incidents of boat capsizing and sinking during river transport are predominantly caused by overcapacity. Overloading the boats has led to people drowning and vessels sinking in the River Nile.
To prevent further loss of lives and resources, it is crucial for the Nile Basin Countries, through their Ministries of Transport and Water Resources, to regulate and determine the appropriate carrying capacity for boats navigating the Nile.
The author, Ariik Kuol Ariik Mawien is a concerned South Sudanese citizen who can be reached via: Twitter: @AriikKuolAriik; E-mail: ariikkuolariik@gmail.com; WhatsApp: +211(0) 923 650 380.
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