South Sudan President Directs Border Control with Sudan

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (File/Getty Image)

July 22, 2023 (JUBA) – South President Salva Kiir has directed state governors to impose tight cross-border control with Sudan in order to maintain law and order.

The South Sudanese leader issued the directive at a meeting with the deputy governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, Zakaria Joseph Garang on Thursday.

Garang was in Juba to brief the president on the security situation in the state.

During the meeting, Kiir expressed concerns that uncontrolled movements could be exploited by negative forces as safe havens and cause havoc within or with the neighbouring countries sharing director borders with Sudan and South Sudan.

“His Excellency, the president advised on maintaining tight border control and directed close coordination and cooperation with all institutions of government to ensure our borders are not infiltrated and exploited for negative activities to undermine stability and peace of any neighbouring country, especially Sudan which is experiencing a test of resilience of the state,” explained Garang.

The deputy governor said Kiir also appealed to the regional and international community as well as the friendly countries to prioritize a return to peace in Sudan.

Western Bahr el Ghazal is one of the states in South Sudan which share direct borders with Sudan to the north, Central African Republic (CAR) to the west, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the south and Uganda to the southeast.

Garang, who also doubles as the deputy chairperson of the country’s ruling party (SPLM) in the state, further described the general situation in the state as stable.

He said state authorities continue to receive returnees fleeing the war in Sudan.

“I informed him [Kiir] that the state continues to receive returnees and refugees from Sudan.  Those who have places in town or villages return to their places directly. Some are new because they are people returning to South Sudan for the first time since 2011. Some of them were born in Sudan because Sudan was one country and they did not return to their ancestral homes after secession,” he said.

Garang said land is being allocated to returnees for integration into communities

He said Kiir urged them to closely work with all security organs to maintain law and order through proper monitoring and management of cross-border movements.

The conflict since April 15 between Sudan’s army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed nearly 3,000 civilians and displaced over 3 million, the United Nations said. Up to 25 million people in Sudan reportedly need humanitarian aid and protection.

(ST)