Insecurity along Sudan’s roads has taken a toll on the country’s trucking industry. According to an assessment conducted by the United Nations Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC) in Sudan, two out of nine land transport companies surveyed had discontinued their services to Darfur in 2008 due to increasing banditry and carjacking. The Sudanese government recently inaugurated armed escorts to accompany truck drivers on their journey to Darfur. However, drivers sometimes wait for up to a week for the convoys to leave from the town of Wad Bandah on the road linking Al Fashir in North Darfur State with Khartoum. Because of these delays the overland trip from Khartoum to Darfur can sometimes require up to twenty days to complete. According to representatives of the Musa Fadl-Elseed Transport Company, “when long delays are encountered while waiting for government escort, perishable goods in transport are simply dumped.” Despite these delays, Hawari Transport and
