The authorities in Kajo-Keji County, Central Equatoria State, have said relative calm has returned to the areas along the border with Uganda following last month’s clashes that displaced over 16,000 people.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Kajo-Keji County Commissioner Wani Jackson Mule said the situation along the border is comparatively calm and that displaced persons can now access their gardens to harvest their produce.
“At the moment, the situation is a bit calm, but there are some minor issues like thugs who steal things like food from people’s gardens,” he explained. “The soldiers from Uganda and South Sudan are still there, but the good thing is that civilians can now access their gardens and harvest their crops and then come back to the IDP camps. They move daily.”
Meanwhile, the executive chief of Bori Boma, Eresto Tomiyo, said the displaced people were forced to go to their gardens to harvest maize and beans due to hunger.
“The food that was distributed by the Red Cross is finished, that is why they now go to their farms to harvest maize and beans,” he said. “The situation is still not good, and we are still waiting for more assistance from some of the organizations that came here when the conflict started.”
Commissioner Wani said the governments of Uganda and South Sudan are working to resolve the border issue.
“As I speak, the situation is calm but there are some criminal activities. Last week, three passengers were arrested crossing to the camp in Yumbe, Uganda, and they were beaten. Some Aringa youth also went away with someone’s harvested groundnuts,” he said. “I also got a report that some people are cutting logs, but we will handle that because it is not the actual border issue. So, I want our people to be calm because we will handle it as a government without involving civilians”.
Over 16,000 people have been displaced in the border areas of Bori Boma and Nyainga Muda in Kajo-Keji County due to the encroachment by Ugandan soldiers.