Authorities in Amuru District plan to hold bilateral discussions with their counterparts in South Sudan’s Magwi County to address the growing wave of cross-border crimes, particularly cattle raids.
The proposed engagement follows repeated incursions by armed cattle rustlers from Magwi County in Eastern Equatoria State, who have been targeting livestock owners in Atiak Sub-county, especially in Okidi Parish.
According to security officials, more than 200 head of cattle have been stolen by the suspected South Sudanese raiders in recent months.
While some of the stolen animals have since been recovered, authorities say the persistent attacks continue to threaten the livelihoods of residents whose communities are still recovering from the two decades of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency.
Amuru Resident District Commissioner Geoffrey Osborn Oceng told Favour fm in an Interview that Ugandan authorities are working to organize a joint security meeting with officials from Magwi County to develop a coordinated response to the cross-border insecurity.
Oceng says the discussions will focus on establishing joint border security monitoring and improving collaboration between the two countries’ security agencies.
He notes that the cattle rustlers have also been crossing into Uganda while armed, making the raids more dangerous. The latest initiative comes amid growing concern among security agencies over increasing cross-border criminal activities along the porous Uganda-South Sudan border.
By URN
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