Police deploy at Uganda-South Sudan border

By Steven Candia in Elegu and Nimule

The Uganda Police have deployed a contingent of about 100 hybrid police officers in Elegu, Uganda-South Sudan border to cool tensions following a three-day strike by businessmen and truck drivers, called off on Monday.

The contingent comprising personnel from the police Field Force Unit (FFU), Counter Terrorism (CT), Traffic Police (TF) and regular police armed with anti-riot gear and backed by an armoured vehicle was deployed on the instruction of Police boss, Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura following a meeting with his South Sudan counterpart at the weekend.

 On Tuesday Police spokesperson and Chief Political Commissar, Assuman Mugenyi led a delegation of top Ugandan police officers to Elegu and finally Nimule in South Sudan where they met with their South Sudan counterparts over the matter.

Part of the group included the traffic chief, Dr. Stephen Kasiima; deputy director Crime Intelligence, Joel Aguma; deputy director Interpol, Elly Womanya and the Northern Uganda police boss, Martin Amoru.

Speaking after the meeting, Mugenyi said the road was extremely crucial to both the economies of both countries and any such blockage would cause major disruptions.

“This route is the lifeline for South Sudan and our people. It is a very strategic road to traders and movement of our people. It blockage would not only affect their economy but also the IGPs (Inspector Generals of Police) intervention was to avert a crisis,” Mugenyi said.

He defended the deployment which he said was to bolster the local team on the ground to ensure safety and reflects the seriousness with which the government is treating the incident.

“We want to ensure that we provide security and safety and we are going to draw a strategy to ensure safety not only for Ugandans but also for the South Sudanese and any person using the road,” he said.

Following the meeting, he said it had been agreed that both countries carry out joint patrols along the border, with some South Sudan police officers on Uganda patrol vehicles and vice versa for easy handling of complaints and avoidance of suspicions.

“Some of these incidents have been because of lack of communication,” he said.

Kayihura rushed to the border last Friday and only left on Monday after holding a series of meetings with both the local and South Sudan police and traders, following which a memorandum of understanding was signed, and the strike called off.

Kayihura will this Saturday lead a huge Ugandan delegation into meeting with officials from South Sudan to chart out a lasting solution.

Ugandan and Kenyan businessmen, especially truck drivers using the road through Gulu went on strike on Friday, parking their trucks on the road on the Ugandan side, blocking the road totally, protesting what they termed as mistreatment by South Sudan officials.

Some of the traders we talked to accused the officials and South Sudanese of fraud, bad contracts, paying undue fines, refusal to honour payments for services rendered and in extreme cases torture involving canning and being locked up in cells.

But the South Sudan officials declined to comment on the allegations.

However, South Sudanese have also accused Uganda businessmen operating there of conning them out of their hard-earned monies.

The strike comes hardly two weeks after the traders in Uganda threatened to go on strike if their grievances are not addressed, prompting both the Ugandan government and South Sudan to intervene with a meeting in Kampala to try and avert the strike.

By Tuesday, although over 60 trucks could still be seen at Elegu, many were moving from either side.