Police boss Kayihura in Juba over traders strike
Jun 16, 2012
Police boss Lt Gen. Kale Kayihura on Friday flew to South Sudan capital Juba to meet his counterpart.
By Steven Candia in Elegu/Nimule border post
Police boss Lt Gen. Kale Kayihura on Friday flew to the South Sudan Capital Juba to meet his Sudanese counterpart Lt. Gen. Acuil TitoMadut following last week’s strike by traders and truck drivers at the border posts of Elegu/Nimule, protesting alleged mistreatment by Sudanese.
The meeting is expected to add energy to the several initiatives by both governments aimed at finding a lasting solution to the trader’s grievances, to avert a recurrence of such strikes that have threatened to strain relations between the two neighbours.
Traders particularly truck drivers from both Uganda and Kenya last week parked their trucks on the road at the border post, blocking traffic and stifling trade for three days before calling it off following a meeting between Kayihura and his Sudan counterpart.
The two police chiefs among a series of things also resolved to hold further consultations in a week’s time to harmonize efforts aimed at resolving the matter, thus Kayihura’s visit to Juba and Saturday’s meeting.
“The meeting is to evolve some sort of guidelines to resolve the matter and harmonize the positions of both countries on how to deal with such problems,” police spokesman Assuman Mugenyi speaking in an interview at Elegu said on Saturday.
After their meeting, the two police bosses are expected to travel southwards to the border area to hold a security meeting with the local leaders and traders to brief them on harmonized positions on the matter. By midday on Saturday the two chiefs had not arrived at the border post where earnest preparations were under way for the meeting.
“They will also agree on where to deploy liaisons officers from both countries as agreed earlier so as to boost efforts aimed at resolving the disputes by traders,” Mugenyi said. Following last week’s strike, it was resolved in the interim, among others that both countries carry out joint cross border patrols and deploy liaisons officers on either side.