Border Incursions Spark Diplomatic Push
Central Equatoria’s Council of Ministers, chaired by Governor Rabi Mujung Emmanuel, has urged Juba and Kampala to open immediate dialogue after Ugandan forces reportedly crossed into Keji Kajo County, raising fears for South Sudan’s sovereignty, officials told reporters Thursday.
Acting Information Minister Jacob Aligo Lo-Lado warned that any prolonged foreign military presence could inflame local sentiment, but stressed the government’s preference for “peaceful, swift, non-confrontational diplomacy” to settle the frontier line, echoing previous bilateral communiqués issued in 2022 and 2023.
Council Calls for Calm Over Cattle Market Attack
The cabinet condemned last week’s armed raid at Mogiri cattle market that left several traders wounded, urging communities from Greater Pibor Administrative Area and Jonglei State to avoid retaliatory treks into Central Equatoria, which could spiral into wider pastoralist clashes.
“Our appeal is restraint,” Aligo stated after the meeting, noting that any tit-for-tat incursion would erode fragile inter-ethnic trust painstakingly built after the 2018 revitalised peace accord, and could distract security forces from ongoing border negotiations.
Land Grabbing Concerns in Mangalla
The Council also heard reports of land grabbing in Mangalla, allegedly by internally displaced persons fleeing Jonglei floods. While acknowledging the humanitarian imperative, ministers insisted that irregular settlements threaten local livelihoods and could provoke property disputes unless addressed promptly.
Juba’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs was asked to prepare voluntary return plans for the IDPs once water levels recede, pairing transport support with livelihood packages so that, in Aligo’s words, “families go home with dignity, not desperation.”
Toward a Comprehensive State Land Policy
Housing, Land and Public Utilities Minister David Morbe tabled a memo detailing dozens of unresolved land cases; the cabinet consequently mandated his ministry to supervise all future demarcation and to draft a sweeping land policy covering ownership, allocation, titling and dispute resolution.
Officials believe a clear regulatory framework will reduce speculative grabs, boost investor confidence and strengthen customary tenure, echoing recommendations from the 2021 National Land Conference that called for harmonising statutory and traditional systems.
Maintaining Harmony and Territorial Integrity
Wrapping up, Governor Emmanuel’s cabinet reaffirmed its readiness to defend state borders through legal avenues while promoting neighbourly cooperation. Analysts in Juba say the dual focus on diplomacy and internal reforms signals a maturing governance approach balancing sovereignty, security and social cohesion.
For Keji Kajo residents, the next weeks will reveal whether high-level talks can translate into quiet borders and restored trade. Both Kampala and Juba have previously de-escalated similar flare-ups, giving observers cautious optimism that dialogue may yet prevail this time.