South Sudan to shut borders with the north: official
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September 24, 2011 (JUBA) – The Republic of South Sudan (RoSS) will
close its borders with its Northern neighbor starting next December,
an official in Juba said today.
JPEG - 35.7 kb
Goods are seen on trucks before being loaded onto barges at the Nile
port of Kosti in White Nile State, September 21, 2011 (Reuters)
Atem Garang, a leading figure in the ruling Sudan People Liberation
Movement (SPLM) said the move was in retaliation to the blockade he
alleged was imposed by Khartoum.
The decision will impact herders and livestock who move along the
borders for grazing purposes, Garang said.
In recent months, officials in Juba accused Khartoum of sealing the
borders and preventing the flow of goods which has led to food
shortages and price hikes particularly in border states.
The statements come in sharp contrast with those made by RoSS
president Salva Kiir at the United Nations General Assembly this week
in which he urged Sudan to work for resolution of all pending issues
particularly border demarcation so that normalization of ties can be
achieved.
South Sudan officially seceded from the north in early July after
Southerners voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new state in a
referendum held last January.
But a number of contentious post-secession issues such as oil,
national debt, Abyei and borders have yet to be sorted out.
Last weekend, the two neighbors signed an agreement by which 10 border
crossings would be opened. It was brokered by the chairman of the
African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki.
(ST)
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