South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Jenifer James
The Office of the Inspector General of Police has announced the cancellation of a controversial directive issued by the Director of Traffic Police earlier this month.
On 4 January 2025, the Director General of Traffic Police, Maj. Gen Kon John Akot, issued an order reducing the validity of driving licenses from five years to one year for South Sudanese nationals and from one year to six months for foreign nationals.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Col. John Kassara Koang, the spokesperson of the South Sudan National Police services, said the traffic directive has now been rescinded, adding driving licenses will revert to a standard validity period of five years for all holders.
Koang said that the licenses will need to be renewed after this period upon presentation to the licensing authority and payment of the required fee.
“The public should be informed that the previous directive issued by the Director of Traffic Police has been cancelled. All driving licenses, both for nationals and foreign nationals will now be valid for five years,” he said.
Koang also emphasised the importance of complying with the updated policy.
“We urge all citizens and foreign nationals to adhere to this new directive in order to ensure the validity of their driving credentials and to maintain compliance with the law,” said Koang.
The decision to reverse the directive of the Director General of Traffic follows public discontent.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the earlier directive. We understand the frustration it may have caused, and we are committed to ensuring that our policies reflect the needs of the public,” said Koang.
On Tuesday, the First Deputy Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Nathaniel Oyet Pierino, Deputy Minister of Interior, Mangar Buom, and the Spokesperson of the South Sudan National Police Service, Col. John Kassara Koang, and the Chairperson of the Specialised Committee for Security and Public Order, Kom Kom met to discuss the traffic police order.
