South Sudan keen to end border rows with neighbours
Map and borders of South Sudan |
By MACHEL AMOS in JubaPosted Thursday, October 20 2011 at 17:35
South Sudan said on Thursday it is seeking a “soft” resolution of the multiple border rows that it faces with the neighbouring Kenya and Uganda.
There is already a dispute at the south-western part of the country, where locals say that the Ugandans of Moyo district have encroached 16 km into their farmlands.
In the country’s Eastern Equatoria state, local authorities have notified the governor and indeed the president that Ugandans have illegally crossed their border and occupied Limu village.
And at Nadapal at the border with Kenya, there are claims from the communities on both sides that the other is unnecessarily encroaching on their land.
“It is really something serious, people are moving in with bulldozers, grazing, making roads and building clinics and offices in our territory,” deputy Interior minister Salva Mathok said.
Conflict
Mr Mathok said South Sudan has until; now sought to first sort out her fragile northern border dispute with her erstwhile foes in Sudan, but in vain.
“We have many problems facing us with the North. So we don’t want other problems facing us at the back,” Mr Mathok said.
“We will negotiate it and we will get the result. We will negotiate it peacefully and handle it.”
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