South Sudan’s roads minister has apologised to the public for the bad condition of roads in the country as a study found that they were the worst in the region.

Roads worsened following recent torrential rains that made them impassable because of flooding and mud.

More than 1,500 lorries carrying food supplies have been stranded for weeks in Western Equatorial state.

Roads Minister Simon Mijok Mijak said engineers were working on the roads and the lorries would be able to move in a few days.

South Sudan’s roads have been described as “the worst” in the region, in a report released by an east African body, the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Co-ordination Authority (NCTTCA).

“The roads in South Sudan are at the lowest category, worst, while you get Rwanda and Kenya being from good to very good,” said NCTTCA executive secretary Omae Nyarandi.

He added that South Sudan needed to focus more on policy and planning, and maintenance in order to improve its road network.