By Gladys Fred Kole
President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his counterpart, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni have been urged to speed up settling border dispute between the two countries.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ramadan Mohamed Abdulla Goc raised the concern in plight of the people of Kajo-Keji County.
The minister was speaking at thanksgiving ceremony to honor the appointment of the minister of foreign affairs, James Pitia Morgan and other officials.
He said that the people are concerned about the problems surrounding the national boundaries between Uganda and South Sudan.
“South Sudan and Uganda don’t have issues, and this is the only shared border stretch that’s not supposed to have any problems,” Mohamed noted.
He pointed out that, as a government, it is not the responsibility of the state or county to handle the international border wrangles.
“It is a responsibility of the national government because this is an international border,” he stressed.
Late last month, President Kiir reportedly handed over five resolutions to Uganda’s state minister of defense, Hajjat Oleru Huda, during their meeting in Juba at State House J1.
Huda, who joined the recent cross-border meeting in Yumbe district, told the delegates that President Kiir directed her to pass the resolution of their meeting to President Museveni.
According to her, the first resolution Kiir put forth was the revival of the Joint Border Demarcation Committee with immediate effect, followed by the reactivation of the Joint Technical Committee on Border Demarcation.
As such, the Deputy Foreign Affairs minister now appealed to the two presidents to expedite the border demarcation process to put the cross-border wrangles to rest for good.
“The two presidents (Kiir and Museveni) have to actually work on that so that these two committees can be reactivated; we pay our share, Uganda pays their share, and we bring the British experts; they know where South Sudan’s boundaries end,” he urged.
However, Mr. Mohamad called on the citizens not to dwell much on the issue of the border with Uganda, saying “our border” is known.
“Uganda knows their border, but only a few individuals want to create problems,” he added.
“Some people think South Sudan is new, but we are not new. If you go back to the British records for a very serious explanation of the borders, the borders of South Sudan were clearly included, so that even where all villages of Kuku end, it is the end of South Sudan, and that one is clear by the way, in the records of the British, we have those documents,” Mohammad lamented.
“No one should claim, nothing will change; if two people try to change that, no one will change history,” he stressed.
The Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister further advised natives living in the border areas not to sell their lands.
“For those who are at the edge of the border, please don’t sell your land; if you want to sell, sell to your local people or any other South Sudanese or anyone who wants to invest,” he urged the locals.
Mohamed’s caution came following reports they are receiving that some locals are selling the land, and they now claim to be Ugandans.
“The land belongs to South Sudan and to the people of South Sudan, and it will be protected by the government of South Sudan,” he emphasized.
In September 2023, local authorities in Kajo-Keji County, Central Equatoria State, reported that Ugandan troops had entered South Sudanese territory and had allegedly set up a military camp there at the border with Uganda’s Yumbe district following a dispute.
The President Kiir position paper passed to his Ugandan counterpart, Museveni, contains action points that give a roadmap to resolve the South Sudan and Uganda border wrangles that have intensified in recent years.