Egypt opens service areas at borders with Sudan amid truck backlog

Cairo [Egypt], September 8: Egypt has established two service areas at its borders with Sudan for Egyptian truckers queued up for clearance, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Transport.
The areas were set up in the Egyptian border towns of WadiKarkar and Abu Simbel in the southern province of Aswan, and is equipped with cafeterias, healthcare facilities and restrooms, the ministry said in a statement.
It mainly serves Egyptian trucks travelling from the two land crossings of Argeen and Goustol to the neighboring country, said the statement, adding the service area is in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent and Aswan Governorate to facilitate the drivers' trip to the Sudanese side.
The ministry claimed that the congestion was due to the slow customs clearance procedures and few working hours at the land crossings on the Sudanese side.
It noted that Minister of Transport Kamel al-Wazir has contacted the concerned Sudanese authorities to take necessary measures to speed up the border-crossing of trucks.
Border crossings between Egypt and Sudan have been very busy since the ongoing bloody conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in mid-April.
Source: Xinhua