South Sudan accuses Kenya of encroaching in its territory

By Fauxille Kibet

GOOBJOOG NEWS|NAIROBI: South Sudan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Mayiik Ayii Deng on Wednesday summoned Kenya’s envoy to Juba Samwel Nandwa seeking a diplomatic solution over the border dispute between the two countries.
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon Mayiik Ayii Deng, met with the Kenyan Ambassador to South Sudan to discuss areas of mutual concern. Issues concerning our mutual border were raised,” a statement from the South Sudanese Foreign Ministry read in part.
It added, “The minister, on behalf of the government of South Sudan, would like to assure all South Sudanese citizens that the highest levels of government are aware of the sensitivities at the border and are working in cooperation with our neighbors to ensure peace, prosperity, and maintenance of border integrity.”
The two officials met on Wednesday after clashes were reported at the Kenya-South Sudanese common border between the Toposa and Turkana communities – which routinely cross their borders in search of pasture.
Local media reported that a week ago, Kenyan security officers crossed briefly into the South Sudanese territory in the Eastern Equatorial region sparking demonstrations by the Toposa youth calling on the South Sudanese government to intervene.
Border disputes between the two countries have been common – occasioned by a tussle over the Ilemi Triangle – a sparsely populated area that is largely undetermined.
In 2019, both countries had agreed to establish a joint team to help mark the border which South Sudan inherited from Sudan.
REGIONAL IMPACT
South Sudan further said it had also reported Uganda – which it also accused of alleged border encroachment to the African Union – a move that is likely to affect the East African trading bloc if it escalates.
The EAC common market which is composed of Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, DR Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda, was established in 2010 to facilitate the free movement of goods and people across the borders of member states.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has not yet commented on the issue which comes at a time when Kenya is involved in a similar tussle with Somalia over a maritime border in the Indian Ocean.