Jonglei militiamen commonly known as the White Army. (File)

Jonglei State and Pibor Administrative Area governments have agreed to open highways linking the areas to facilitate the free movement of goods and people.

The deal was reached on Friday at a peace conference in Juba aimed to discuss ways to end recurrent insecurities caused by cattle raiding, highway attacks and child abductions.

The conference recommended deployment of security forces in the hotspot and border areas of the region to contain child traffickers and raiders.

Denay Jock Chagor, the Governor of Jonglei State says the conference recommendation will help resolve communal conflicts.

Speaking at the conference, Chagor said the two governments will not tolerate cross border criminal activities.

“I call the people of the Jonglei and Pibor administrative area and tell them we greed on opening the roads between the Bor and Pibor administrative area and businesspeople will move freely,” he proclaimed.

“Any criminal that will try to ambush people on the road we shall take action faster we give order to the law enforcement agent to take action against them.”

For his part, Lokoli Ame Bullen, Chief Administrator of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area says communities in the region should not blame each other but focus on finding a lasting solution to the decades of violence.

“We are trying to solve our problems and we should find a new method let us not just blame each other this will not take us ant had let us not go out and confuse the youth outside there this will not be going to end.”

In In December 2022, a renewed communal conflict erupted between the armed youth from Jonglei State and the Pibor Administrative Area – leading to closure of the road connecting the two areas.

The fighting also displaced 30,000 thousand people and led to the abduction of hundreds of children and women, according to a UN report.

 At least 266 abductees have been traced and reunited with their families between 2021 and 2023 in Greater Jonglei State, a government official said at the time.