The South Sudan and Uganda have agreed to form a joint police force to improve security alongthe Juba Nimule road.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between the South Sudan Police Inspector General, General Makur Marol Aduot and his Ugandan counterpart, General Kale Kayihura over the weekend.

The talks also included restoring security along the Juba- Oraba road, which goes through Yei.
For months now, the roads from Juba to Nimule and Juba to Yei have experienced a number of targeted attacks on public transport, especially buses and private vehicles.

The Uganda Police Inspector General, Kale Kayihura says the situation cannot be left to continue because it has also affected Ugandan citizens.

“We have a situation between the Ugandan border and Juba, to be specific, which we cannot leave to play out as though there is nobody responsible for the security and safety, more especially of movement traffic of people and goods between Uganda and South Sudan,” he said, speaking during the meeting yesterday in Kampala.

General Kayihura noted that the incidents have, especially, along the Nimule – Juba road and the Juba-Oraba road, resulted into loss of both lives of Ugandans and South Sudanese, as well as property.

The meeting discussed several security options including formation of joint policing teams based on functional areas of cooperation of border security.

For his part, the South Sudan Police Inspector General, Makur Marol Aduot says the move will address the killings and robberies along the road.

“It affects me to see that people are being killed in daylight…broad-day light along the Juba-Nimule road. It seems as if we are not able to protect our people,” he said.

The meeting also discussed the establishment of a task force to respond to critical security challenges and to pursue criminal gangs along the road.

Other issues include investigation of cases, management of suspects and monitoring the movement of people and goods.