By Mamer Abraham
President Salva Kiir Mayardit and President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni have shown commitment to resolving the border disputes between the two countries.
On Monday, President Kiir was briefed by the governor of Central Equatoria State, Emmanuel Adil Anthony, over border security, where Kiir pledged to resolve the border encroachment in Kajo Keji County.
“President Kiir on Monday pledged to resolve the border dispute between South Sudan’s Kajo-Keji County and Uganda’s Yumbe District following reoccurrences of highly disputed territorial encroachments along the common borders,” the statement on the president’s page read.
Kiir called for calm as he explores ways of resolving the matter amicably with Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The security advisor for Central Equatoria State, Angelo Daya, said the resolution of the border dispute was in the hands of the national government and that a committee had already been formed to solve the border disputes between South Sudan and its neighboring countries.
“Central Equatoria State, under the leadership of Hon. the Governor, will in the near future address the issue amicably with the RDCs of the four or three districts commonly bordering our state,” Daya stated.
According to the state security advisor, the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) had already withdrawn from the Kajo Keji county territory after camping in the disputed territory, adding that the few UPDF soldiers who remained were just there for security reasons.
Activist, Gadino Ochama Ojok, the executive director and secretary general of the South Sudanese Network for Democracy and Elections (SSuNDE), said the border issue was urgent and therefore the national government must not wait.
Ojok urged President Kiir and President Museveni to forge an urgent solution beforehand, ensuring that the land being encroached upon is returned to its rightful owner.
“I think President Kiir and President Museveni should show leadership at this level. They should really de-escalate the situation and ensure that the land in contention is brought to the rightful owner,” Ojok noted.
On Monday, the examiner publication reported that President Museveni had sent two cabinet ministers to the border districts of Yumbe and Moyo in Uganda’s West Nile region bordering South Sudan’s Central Equatoria state to resolve the disputes between the two sisterly countries.
The report noted that President Museveni was only waiting for a report from the state minister for veteran affairs, Huda Abason Oleru, and Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the state minister for primary education.
Last month, the governor of Central Equatoria State met with the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) and the feuding communities, after which thirteen Ugandans caught logging were released, while a Kajo-Keji county local chief who was also arrested was also released.