Solution to border dispute between South Sudan and Uganda proves elusive

The conflict, dating back to 2007, escalated with the recent seizure of equipment belonging to farmers in Kajo-Keji.

Muki Batali, County Commissioner, said the farmers were cultivating land in Kajo-Keji when authorities from Moyo and their soldiers  confiscated” their tractor.
 
Batali said some of the disputed areas, including Bamurye and Keriwa, had been strongholds of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) during the Sudanese civil war. Thousands of displaced South Sudanese had camped in the areas as well, and had since settled there.

Satellite view of the disputed area -       Photo: Google Earth

The Ugandans say Bamurye belongs to them. They have now settled Banyakole herders there,” Batali said, adding that individuals in Moyo” are trying to grab large sections of land from Kajo-Keji.  
 
Last month, Moyo authorities said they would expel more than 20,000 South Sudanese living in the district over allegations that the SPLA had attacked Ugandan residents along part of South Sudan’s southern border. According to the Uganda Monitor website, the decision to expel the South Sudanese was reached during an extraordinary district council meeting.
 
Commissioner Muki regretted the accusation against the SPLA, calling it unfortunate.” The SPLA has been regarded favourably in both Moyo and Kajo-Keji, he said. He accused the Ugandan media of heightening tensions  without investigating the situation in South Sudan.   
 
A resident of Kajo-Keji identifying himself only as Amule said the dispute has had adverse effects on both communities.

A patient was referred from Kajo-Keji hospital to Moyo for treatment,” he said, but he was refused entrance to Uganda by the authorities from the Moyo side of the border.” Authorities had reportedly asked the man to pay a fee that he could not afford. This is unusual,” Amule said.

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The Ugandan district of Moyo and the Kajo-Keji County in South Sudan typically enjoyed cross-border commerce, with people moving freely between the two areas. Movements are now restricted, said Amule.  Cases of harassment by individuals on the Ugandan side have also been reported. He called for a swift resolution of the dispute to normalise the neighbourly relations that Moyo and Kajo-Keji enjoyed prior to the border issue.
 
Commissioner Muki, who informed state and national authorities about the ongoing disagreement, expressed optimism that it would soon be settled.
 
A fact-finding delegation of national and state assembly members arrived in Kajo-Keji on Wednesday and will report to Juba.  
 
In 2009, President Salva Kiir and Ugandan President Yuweri Museveni met in Gulu, another border district of Uganda, to discuss the issue of Moyo and Kajo-Keji, but their discussions brought no lasting solutions.