Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Authorities in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, say improved border cooperation with neighboring districts has brought stability to the area, with a sharp decline in encroachment incidents compared to previous years.
Speaking to Eye Radio on Thursday, May 29, Commissioner Polepole said that since January, there has been no encroachment from neighboring Lamwo District of Uganda, which has helped keep the Magwi border area peaceful.
“It is peaceful all over, in terms of rain, in terms of border cooperation with our counterparts, the services, the schools, everything is going normally. Previously, there was the issue of encroachment, where our community was reporting daily, he said.
“Currently, those kinds of things have reduced; new encroachment has not been recorded for almost the whole of this month, starting from January up to now.
Local border communities have been able to continue their farming activities without disruption.
Mr. Polepole attributes this stability to improved cooperation between South Sudanese and Ugandan authorities, following a cross-border security meeting held in October 2024.
“We had several meetings with our counterparts where we pointed out that any move by the military or by the security committee should be with the knowledge of the two leaders, the commissioner of the county, in the Republic of South Sudan, and his counterpart, the RDC of Lamwo.
During this meeting, both parties agreed that no cross-border activities, such as trade and renting land for farming, should take place with the knowledge and approval of local leaders.
He noted that before this agreement, some Ugandan farmers had claimed ownership of land inside Magwi County, causing misunderstandings.
The new arrangements, according to Polepole, have helped to address these issues and foster peaceful coexistence along the border.
However, the county official said the Ugandan army is still in places where they had earlier trespassed- something he said doesn’t mean South Sudan has given them away.
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