Health staff spends night in Sudan cell

Moyo

The health assistant of Laropi Sub-county in Moyo District spent Tuesday night in a South Sudan police cell for crossing into the country illegally.

Mr Patrick Azile was arrested by South Sudan police at the disputed area of Abaya/Wano Village, which is claimed by both countries. He was arrested on Monday and detained zat Kajo-Keji Police Cell with a government motorcycle and GPS machine that he was using to map the area for putting up boreholes.

A police officer from South Sudan, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr Azile entered the disputed area illegally. When the district leaders learnt about the arrest, a team of six security officers led by the district vice chairperson, Mr Andrew Kajoyingi, met the Kajo-Keji County commissioner, Mr Ben Yengi, to have the official released. After two hours of talks, Mr Azile was released and handed over to the Ugandan delegation.

Mr Azile said after finishing the work, he decided to use the shortcut but he did not know that it was a ‘crime’ to use that route. “That was how I ended up being arrested by the South Sudan police at Abaya. But I was not tortured except that the room was small with no proper ventilation,” he said.

Mr Yengi told journalists that he plans to have talks with the Moyo District Council over the land. Two years ago, the border with South Sudan was closed thrice after violent protests over similar arrests.

Mr Charles Madrara, a resident, said their plea to resolve the land matter has not been taken up seriously by leaders. “We are looked at as ground nuts in the garden where rats can eat at any time. The failure to resolve this conflict has created a lot of misery and untold suffering,” he said.

Disputes over border land has been central in disrupting relationship between Ugandan residents and their South Sudanese counterparts. This has at times affected business between the two countri